Pemberley Passion
by notjaneausten
Summary: The following story has characters acting very OOC - if you don't like that then don't read ahead! What if Mr. Darcy had already been 'at home' when Elizabeth and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner pay an unexpected visit to Pemberley. A rather naughty version of what could have happened if Lizzie Bennet had spied Mr. Darcy in his bedchamber after just getting out of the bath. Updated weekly
1. Chapter 1

Miss Elizabeth Bennet came down to breakfast one morning to find her aunt and uncle deep in conversation over hot tea and breakfast muffins. They stopped their conversation as soon as Elizabeth entered the breakfast parlour of the small inn they were staying in and turned guilty faces towards their niece. The three of them were on a summer tour of Derbyshire and had so far visited Chatsworth, Kenilworth and were currently planning activities for their next few days.

"I'm not going to like this am I?" Elizabeth sighed gently as she took a seat at the table and poured a cup of waiting hot chocolate. The fact that there was even hot chocolate on the table indicated that either her Aunt Lucy or Uncle Edward were hoping to convince her to do something that she really didn't want to do. It was a tactic that they had used in the past, using chocolate in some form to persuade a grimy tomboy to take a bath, or to comb the tangles out of her hair.

"Now Lizzie, don't be like that! Can't an uncle give his favourite niece a treat without it being seen as some nefarious plan? I'm hurt, Elizabeth." Edward Gardiner sighed heavily and placed a hand over his chest to indicate his deep sorrow. Elizabeth reached across the table and took hold of his hands.

"Uncle Edward, you really are a dear to have me along with you on this trip. But really are a poor actor! Tell me, what is it that you will have me do? It had better not be another rock climbing expedition! I think Father will not agree to yet another pair of walking boots ruined…" Elizabeth grinned in memory of the last few days where she and Edward had scampered happily over the rocks and hills of the area until her boots had been quite worn through.

"No rocks involved this time, darling. As you know, I was born and raised in Derbyshire and I really would like to go back to see somewhere that I haven't seen since I was a girl, living with my parents in a village called Lambton." Lucy Gardiner looked over at her niece to gauge her reaction, they were extremely close and Elizabeth had confided in her aunt the situation with a certain Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pemberley. When Elizabeth didn't react at the mention of the name of the village, Lucy took that to mean that Darcy had not revealed the name of the village closest to his family home.

"I remember the name from the stories you used to tell Jane and myself when you came to visit. It sounds lovely. What is there to see in the area?" Elizabeth was delighted that she would finally get to see the town and surrounding area that her aunt described so fondly.

"Well that's the thing that you may not like…It's near Pemberley – but the family is almost certainly from home at this late in the season." Edward leant forward pitching his voice a little in almost desperation. He knew that his wife had a long held desire to finally get to see the inside of the house now that the Darcy's had opened the family rooms up to public viewing; as for himself he had long heard stories of the many streams and lakes that were dotted around the grounds at Pemberley and the fine fishing that was to be had there. Elizabeth felt her face going stiff with shock but managed to compose herself before she let her innermost feelings show. When she had returned from visiting her newly married friend, Charlotte Collins, it was Lucy to whom she turned to and unburdened some of the truth about the true character of George Wickham; a man who had so willingly left lies and betrayal in his wake. After she had revealed some of the other events at Kent and the anger that she harboured, they had stepped in to offer her this lovely holiday, so how could she refuse their request? She remained doubtful of whether she could bear to see the home of the man whose proposal she rejected so forcefully and still felt the remaining shame of accepting the word of a man who had clearly made the practice of spreading lies and unhappiness to all he encountered.

_You seem to take a great deal of attention to the misfortunes of that man…..is this truly what you think of me…? _

"Well, Lizzy? What say you? Shall we visit Pemberley?" Edward Gardiner's voice broke through her reverie and jolted her back to the present. She was momentarily distracted and then remembered her train of thought.

"Are we sure that the family are not presently at home? I would feel most awkward if…"

"Lizzy, dear. It's the tail end of summer, most of the larger homes have already started returning to Town. I've made some discreet enquiries and have been told that the Darcy's are currently away from home and will not be returning until the weeks end. Don't worry, dear." Lucy Gardiner laid a hand on her niece's shoulder and gently patted it in reassurance. The two of them were very close and Elizabeth had shared some of her dealings with Darcy…but not all; she only revealed that he had spent some time at Rosings whilst she was there and revealed that Greg Wickham was not quite the amiable young gentleman that he appeared to be on the surface. As to the rest, Elizabeth didn't feel comfortable revealing Darcy's proposal to anyone, she hadn't even told her elder sister, Jane.

"Very well, then. Let us visit Pemberley and see how the mighty Darcy's live!"

"That's the spirit!" Edward reached over and gave Elizabeth a peck on the cheek in encouragement. "Well, there's no time like the present. Quick, Lucy before she changes her mind!" Edward hustled his wife and niece out of the inn to where an open carriage was waiting on the cobbles. He had a quiet word with the driver and they set off towards Lucy's childhood haunts. As they drove through Lambton and out into the surrounding countryside, Elizabeth sat back against the cushions and raised her closed eyes towards the warm August sun.

"It's very pleasant here, isn't it?" Lucy leant forwards from the opposite seat. Elizabeth didn't open her eyes but merely murmured a response.

"How far is it to Pemberley anyway, Lucy?" Edward asked his wife, peering out into the countryside in search of suitable fishing spots.

"Well, actually…we've already passed Pemberley Woods. The house should be coming up just over the next rise…" The park was very large, and contained great variety of ground. They had entered it from one of its lowest points, and drove for some time through a beautiful wood stretching over a wide extent.

"How far…?" They drove for nearly half a mile in fact, until the house came into view situated on the opposite side of the valley, into which the road with some abruptness wound. Elizabeth sat upright in shock….all of this belonged to Darcy! She could hardly believe it, no wonder he was so arrogant!

"Pemberley Park was originally owned outright by the Darcy's for a number of years, but I remember when the elder Mr. Darcy died, the current Mr. Darcy turned most of the land over to the County on the agreement that it should be kept as a country park and never built on. I believe he kept hold of the house and a few hundred acres of farmland surrounding it…." Lucy paused when she heard a painful sigh coming from her husband, she turned and kissed his cheek before continuing, "Yes, darling. He kept the fishing lakes too!"

It was a large, handsome stone building standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills. In front, a stream of some natural importance was swollen with water. Its bank were neither formal nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all warm in their admiration and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something special indeed.

On finally arriving at the front of the house, they applied to see the place. They were admitted into the hall and stood waiting for the housekeeper to arrive. Elizabeth was a little bemused to find herself actually standing in the hallway of Darcy's family home and a thought crossed her mind as to what Darcy himself might think of her being there… Mrs. Reynolds, the elderly housekeeper arrived to take them on a tour of the rooms open to visitors. She was a respectable looking lady, very polite and quite friendly in her actions. They followed her into the dining parlour. It was a large, well-proportioned room, handsome in decoration. Elizabeth crossed over the finely woven carpet to look out over the prospect from the multi paned windows. The gardens and grounds were a delight to look upon and she looked at the whole scene, the streams and the trees scattered along its banks and the winding of the valley were pure joy to look at. As they passed into other rooms these objects were taking different positions; but from every wind other were some other beauties to be seen. All of the rooms were lofty and handsome, and their furniture perfectly suited to their owner; but Elizabeth saw, with admiration of his taste, that it was neither gaudy nor uselessly fine. _Rather unlike the gilded splendour of Rosings, _she thought to herself.

"Lizzie, dear look. Is that not Mr. Wickham?" Lucy called her niece over to examine a series of miniature portraits arranged over the mantelpiece. Mrs. Reynolds noticed their interest and came over to explain further.

"Ah, yes that is a picture of the son of the last estates manager, George Wickham. The young gentleman was a particular favourite of the late Mr. Darcy; he did enter the Army but I fear that he has turned out very wild indeed. Such a shame, for he was not raised to be that way." Mrs. Reynolds placed the miniature back on the shelf and selected another for viewing. "Here is one of the current, Master. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. It is a very faithful representation of him and was painted a few years before his Father passed away." Mrs. Reynolds handed the portrait over to Lucy who examined it for a moment before handing it over to her niece.

"It is a handsome face, I grant you that. Tell me, Lizzie is it a likeness?" Elizabeth held the portrait in her hands and examined it closely. The face was clearly Darcy but the expression upon it was softer and not just due to his age, it was if he hadn't a care in the world and the artist had managed to capture a twinkle in his eye that Elizabeth had yet to see.

"Does the young lady know Mr. Darcy?" Mrs. Reynolds turned around to look closer at Elizabeth, who blushed at being caught out practically caressing the portrait. She handed it quickly back to the housekeeper, who carefully replaced it back in pride of place.

"Yes, I know him a little." Elizabeth finally replied, Mrs. Reynolds turned to look at the younger woman a little closer.

"And do you not think him a handsome man?" Mrs. Reynolds asked, wanting more details of how well this young woman knew her Darcy. Could he have finally met the right girl at last?

"Yes, very handsome." Elizabeth blushed furiously at this confession and turned away to hide her face. Lucy stared at her niece's back, astonished at the statement. In their conversations, regarding Darcy and his character, not once had Elizabeth mentioned that she was even remotely attracted to him! Mrs. Reynolds nodded sagely and decided that this Miss Bennet might be a very interesting person indeed. Most of the younger ladies that had toured the house seemed to be only interested in the fine furnishings and the financial aspect of the Darcy's this young lady seemed very different however.

"I am sure I do not know of a handsomer and kinder young man. In fact in the gallery that is situated in the family wing upstairs there is a finer, much larger picture of him than this. This room was my late master's favourite room, and these miniatures are just as they used to be then. He and his wife, Lady Anne were very fond of them. Now, the gallery isn't usually part of the normal tour, but you seem a sensible young miss, so I am sure that you won't cause any mischief. Why don't I show your companions the gardens whilst you run upstairs and take a peep? I'll have one of our footmen show you the way."

Before she even quite realised what was happening, Elizabeth felt herself being shooed out into the hallway where Mrs. Reynolds held a whispered conversation with an older looking footman crossing the hall.

"Henry, take her up to the family wing and point her in the direction of the gallery." Henry, one of the eldest of the household staff looked at the housekeeper in amazement. The Darcy's were extremely private people and the house tours were kept strictly to a few downstairs rooms and the grounds. Even their closest family friends were denied admittance to the private family quarters. Mrs. Reynolds tugged Henry's arm to tug him a little closer.

"She knows our Darcy! And she thinks that he is very handsome…"

"Right-ho, Dottie. I'll take her up straight away, you do realise that if Darcy were to find out…?"

"But he's not here, is he?" Mrs. Reynolds pushed Henry towards a bewildered looking Elizabeth who was waiting with her aunt and uncle just by the grand front door. He bowed towards the beautiful young lady and indicated that she should follow him up the grand staircase.

"We'll wait for you out near the carriage, dearest." Lucy called softly and then followed the housekeeper out into the warm sunshine. Elizabeth continued to follow the footman up the staircase and then turned at the top as they came to two sets of large imposing set of wooden doors.

"Just along that corridor are the guest suites in the east wing. Over here to the West is the family wing contained the private suites of Mr. Darcy and his sister, Miss Georgiana. The portrait gallery is…" Henry pointed out the location of the guest quarters and the family chambers but stopped when he caught sight of a housemaid about to enter the East Wing with a heaped bundle of bedlinens. "Polly, why isn't Daisy helping you with that? Excuse me, Miss for one moment whilst I deal with this matter…" Henry left Elizabeth standing on the landing with a set of doors on either side of her. She could hear Henry's conversation with the young maid and hid a smile at his concerned tone.

"Now what have Mrs. Reynolds and I told you about taking things a little easier. That babe is not going to like his mum lifting things as heavy as this." Henry took half off the load from the housemaids arms and glanced back over at Elizabeth. "Would you mind if I left you to look at the portraits on your own Miss? It's just that Polly here really shouldn't be working so hard, what with the babe nearly here."

"Now Mr. Henry, the young Miss doesn't need to hear that! I'm sorry, Miss for disturbing your visit; some people have a tendency to over react."

"What would your Mother say if she found out that her own brother had let you lift heavy things in your fifth month?" Henry admitted that he was a little over protective of his only niece, who insisted that she was capable of still working, albeit on lighter duties. But with the house party due to arrive within a matter of days and housemaids that tended to disappear when it came time to back up the beds required…

"I'm sure I can make my own way back out into the gardens unassisted." Elizabeth went to turn around and make her way back down towards the hall when Henry called her back.

"Mrs. Reynolds was most insistent that you see the portrait gallery. If you turn left as you enter the Family Wing, follow the corridor down a little until you come to the first set of doors on your right. Please, take your time, it's quite alright."

"Very well, I would like to see the portraits. I understand that there is a very fine one of Miss Darcy." Elizabeth turned towards the family wing and reached out a hand to the handle, only to hesitate at the last moment. "Are you quite sure that it's alright for me to go on alone?" She turned back to question, only to find herself alone on the staircase, Henry having entered the East Wing to assist his niece. "What a very strange household. I'm certain that Mother would never approve." Indeed the very idea of having a very obviously pregnant member of staff would never be entertained at Longbourn, appearances were everything to Mrs. Bennet and the girl would have found herself dismissed the moment that the pregnancy had been revealed. The idea though, that family were amongst the staff at Pemberley delighted Elizabeth in ways that she couldn't describe. The fact that Henry and the Housekeeper were past their prime, had not escaped Elizabeth's notice, they were obviously valued members of the household and this fact in itself raised Darcy higher in Elizabeth's opinion. She took a deep breath and reached out a hand to turn the elaborate handle on one of the doors and stepped through into the family wing. There was a subtle scent of citrus in the air that reminded Elizabeth immediately of Darcy's scent. _It must be lemon oil in the beeswax polish that Mrs. Reynolds uses, _thought Elizabeth to herself as she walked along the rich carpeting. _It is strange though, how the scent seems richer here, than downstairs where there was lots of woodwork. _ Elizabeth found herself pausing at a crossroads in the wing, did Henry say that the gallery was to the left or to the right. She looked to the right where a set of doors were tightly closed and then looked at a set of doors that were slightly ajar to the left. Taking the turn to the left and peering through the gap between the doors; she was met with a sight that held her mesmerised and rooted her to the spot…


	2. Chapter 2

The Master of Pemberley, Fitzwilliam Darcy leant back against the lip of his bathtub trying to soothe the ache in his neck and shoulders. It was an ache caused from hunching over his study desk in the many sleepless nights since his return from Kent. His moods switched rapidly from the depths of despair to frustrating anger since the love of his life refused his suit. Desperate for a little time alone and to prevent his younger sister from suffering his bad temper, he had left Georgiana and the rest of the party in Matlock and rode on ahead a few days early.

Sighing heavily, Darcy rose from his cooling bath water and stood dripping on the wooden floor. He picked up a soft, fluffy towel from the rail and absentmindedly ran it over his body and leaving the towel slung over his shoulder strode naked into his adjoining bedchamber. He stood for a while gazing out of the windows into the formal gardens at the front of the house, thinking over his actions of the last few months and wondering what it would take to get his mind back on track. A drip of cold water falling onto his chest brought him to the present and he rubbed the towel over his head and down to his shoulders. As he ran the soft towel over the soft curling hair on his chest his breath started to deepen. Thoughts of Elizabeth flitted through his mind and as his hand moved the towel down lower, he could feel his unmistakable reaction to the very thought of her. _Why her, God? What is it about her that makes me act the way I do_?

Breathing harshly, Darcy tried to calm himself down, he bowed his head and taking a deep breath; fought for composure. Straightening up he threw back his broad shoulders and leant across to the heavy wooden bureau containing clean undergarments. Rummaging around Darcy located a soft undershirt but when he brought it out into the open he saw that it was in fact a ladies handkerchief with a delicately embroidered hem. He rubbed his finger over the tiny embroidered 'E' in the corner and remembered collecting the handkerchief from where it had fallen to the floor after their one and only dance together at the Lucas house party. He had intended on returning the item straight away but had been distracted by the odious Mr. Collins instead and had tucked the handkerchief in his waistcoat pocket. His valet, Saunders, must have found it there and laundered the item. Still rubbing his finger restlessly over the initial, Darcy's head jerked up as a familiar scent hit his nostrils; the faint fragrance of night scented jasmine filled his room and bringing the handkerchief up to his nose he struggled to detect even the faintest hint remaining on the delicate cloth. Still his eyes darted around, convinced that Elizabeth was near. _Great, now you're hallucinating too!_

The first night that he had spent back at Pemberley after returning from Rosings, Darcy had drowned his sorrows in port and had stumbled drunkenly out onto the balcony outside of the master suite. He had been trying to drink Elizabeth out of his memory but the blossoming Jasmine reminded him of her fragrance and he had nearly fallen over the balustrade trying to pull them all out. He sniffed the air again, and there was no mistaking that fragrance. His nether regions stirred to attention and began to rise up. _Not again, please. _He started to wrap the towel tighter around his waist but just the merest touch of his hand made him stiffen even further. Darcy sighed, knowing that there was only one course of action to take. He hated doing this, it felt dirty and obscene, almost as if he was brutalizing the memory of his beloved. _Just do it, Darcy. It's not going to go away until you do, get it over with. It's not as if you've never done it before… God, Elizabeth…_

As her name entered his thoughts again, he started to throb almost uncontrollably. Darcy placed the towel down on the window ledge and raised one foot up against the ledge, he reached down with one hand to take himself firmly in grip, determined to get it over with as quickly as possible, placing his other hand flat against the bedroom wall to support his weight. His fist tightened, gliding over the smooth taut flesh. He slid his hand from base to the mushroom like bulb at the tip and captured the drop that appeared from the small slip, he brought his hand back down again, sliding his foreskin back as he did so. He tightened his grip as he pumped up and down, slowly at first and then more rapidly, pushing his hips forward at the same time. His back arched at the pleasure as he felt the moisture pooling, he knew that it would be over in a matter of seconds and bend down to pick up the towelling ready to capture his sticky offerings. One more pump and he felt the bittersweet pleasure rising and rising, his heart beating hard and fast and buttocks clenching as he let the pleasure overtake him to expel warm jets of warm liquid into the waiting towel. "Aah, God…Libby!" Darcy felt his manhood still twitching and producing rapid spurts, a shocked gasp from the doorway had him twirling around in horror. To his dismay he realized that whilst he had been engaged in pleasuring himself the door had not been completely closed, someone must tried to enter the room to make up the bed and caught him instead! He quickly wiped his rapidly deflating manhood down and threw on his robe. _Now you've done it, you randy old goat. You've probably scared some poor young housemaid for life! When will you learn to keep it in your trousers? _

Darcy reached the doorway and threw it open only to see the back of someone looking very familiar escaping down the corridor towards the staircase. "Elizabeth…" Darcy softly whispered to himself and looking down at his jerking erection peeking out through the front of his robe. "Stop it! She's really here…but why? Darcy, stop talking to yourself and get dressed so that you can go and find her!" Darcy raced back into his bedroom and frantically started pulling on clothes as fast as he could. He would not let her get away from him this time!

Elizabeth raced down the hallway on shaking legs, as fast as she could; panting harshly. She reached the top of the staircase and had to give way to her trembling limbs to collapse onto the top step. She raised a shaking hand to cover her flushed cheeks and closed her eyes in mortification. Her whole body felt warm and tingly with an ache that settled deep within her stomach. The sight of the taut naked buttocks of Darcy from behind raced through her mind and Elizabeth found herself trembling in reaction. _God, what on earth is happening to me? _ She brought her hand down to her lips and found them slightly open, feeling her panting breath warm against her fingers. She slid her fingers down the side of her neck and shivered in reaction, she paused for a moment to take stock of her racing pulse. _Hmmm, I feel warm to touch and I have an elevated pulse, maybe I have a fever? _ Her other hand seemed to move of its own volition and hovered over her heaving bosoms. As one finger brushed against a swollen nipple, Elizabeth gasped in amazement, she looked down at her chest and was dismayed to find both areolas clearly trying to push through the thin muslin of her bodice. She reached up to try and deflate them and the pleasure was so intense that it made her bottom rise up from the cold marble in reaction. She tore her hands away and clasped firmly together to stop any further incidents. She sat down firmly again on the step and drew in a sharp breath when her swollen private parts made contact with the marble. It was almost as though the muslin of her skirts weren't even there. _It's definitely a fever then, I must have perspired greatly and not even realized it. How strange it is that my bodice isn't damp, just my skirts. _ As she was thinking this, Elizabeth was unconsciously caressing her private areas above her skirt; it was only when she started to pant harder that she stopped her actions in horror. _My God, what am I doing? This is so wrong, young ladies are never supposed to touch down there – only through a washcloth whilst bathing. _ She sat up straighter on the steps and took a peek around to make sure that she hadn't been observed breaking from propriety. She relaxed slightly when she realized that no-one had observed her indiscretion, or so she thought…

Darcy had dressed quickly, intent on catching up with Elizabeth. He was just about to announce his presence when she first sat down at the top of the staircase. Darcy noticed her hunch over and was just about to offer her some words of apology when he noticed that far from being distraught, it looked as if Elizabeth herself was caught up in her own arousal. His mouth dried up as he watched her trailing a hand over her mouth and when she paused at the side of her neck, he wished it was he placing a wet kiss there. Darcy thought that she would stop there but found himself mesmerized by her touching her own body, and from the looks of things for the very first time. He wished it was his fingers tweaking her swollen nipples, pushing her bountiful breasts together and pulling her bodice down to get a closer look. He groaned silently in reaction when he realized that her arousal had caused her dewy essence to seep from her swollen folds and had made a small patch at the back of her dress almost see through. When she rose from the staircase he could see the clear outline of her firm buttocks through the soaked material and half collapsed against the shadows of the wall; his arousal pressing insistently against the front of his now too tight breeches. His hips jerked slightly when Elizabeth started to touch herself through the front of her dress, he focused on those slim fingers brushing softly but insistently along the soft folds and could only imagine how wet and swollen they would be beneath the skirt. He groaned under his breath when Elizabeth stopped her movements and looked up in dismay. The expression on her face just moments before had been soft and very relaxed, her eyes hazy with passion and her mouth, parted slightly with wondrous desire. The expression now held almost horrified disbelief.

_She hadn't realized what she had been doing! God, if that is what she looks like when she is not paying attention, I can only imagine what she is like when she really puts her mind to the task…_ Darcy found himself almost losing total control at the thought and then stood completely upright when Elizabeth sat upright on the stair and looked around to see whether she had been observed. _ Did she see me watching her as she did me? _ Darcy found the thought oddly arousing and then immediately wondered what her reaction would be. He sighed a little in relief when it appeared that Elizabeth had not noticed him in the shadows. He caught his breath when the sight of Elizabeth straightening up and throwing her shoulders back, made her aroused nipples stand out in proud relief. She brushed the front of her dress down and prepared to stand. _Oh my, Miss Bennet you have been a naughty girl haven't you? _ Darcy whistled silently beneath his breath as the view of her form in silhouette was revealed, her tight buttocks were clearly visible from the rear and he knew that if she turned around he would nearly explode in his breeches at the sight of her swollen nipples trusting proudly against the bodice of her dress. He didn't want her embarrassed in front of any of his staff and knew that one look at her would reveal exactly what she had been up to. He had to stop her from going downstairs until she was looking more like herself and her body had settled down. Darcy had to try and keep her occupied but didn't want her to know that a ) he knew that she had watched him pleasuring himself and b) he obviously didn't want her to know that he had returned the favour, so to speak. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself and then stepped out into the corridor just as Elizabeth was preparing to step down onto the stairs. Elizabeth stopped as she heard his voice from behind her,

"Miss Darcy? This is a surprise, but what on earth are you doing here?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Darcy felt that they had come out all wrong and tried to backtrack. "What I meant to say was, this is an unexpected pleasure...I thought that you were touring the Lake District?" _Smooth, Darcy very smooth, now she will think that you don't want her hear at all…_

"Mr. Darcy? I thought that you were….We were informed that the family were all from home…I didn't mean to intrude…" Elizabeth started to stutter out an explanation but seeing him dressed before her only brought the image of his smooth and muscular naked back even clearer to her mind. _ Well done, Lizzie now he definitely knows that you were watching him. What on earth will he do? _Elizabeth sneaked a peek up to his face and noticed a faint flush appear along his cheeks and he shifted slightly to widen his stance.

"Well….I…err…there is no intrusion… I returned a few days early, I had business to discuss with my steward." _No intrusion at all, you can watch me at any time…as long as I can return the favour. Stop it right now Darcy! Get those thoughts out of your head this instance!_

"Oh…I am in Derbyshire with my aunt and uncle, business commitments made us cut short our plans and as my aunt was raised near here…"

"And are you having a pleasant trip?" Darcy enquired, more relaxed now his arousal had subsided slightly.

"Yes, thank you very pleasant, tomorrow we journey onto Matlock." Elizabeth managed to reply sensibly, wondering why he had suddenly become so civilised.

"Tomorrow?" Darcy said in dismay, to have her here in his house only to lose her again so soon. _Really, Miss Bennet we shall have to see about that won't we?_ Elizabeth was starting to feel slightly better about the whole situation as the conversation wore on, she was almost certain that Darcy had not realized that she had been spying on him and was absolutely confident that no one had been around to watch her own indiscretion. However, the current look on Darcy's face at this present moment was beginning to make her feel a little warm inside again. He was looking at her most intently with an almost seductive gleam in his eye. _Really Elizabeth, and just how might you recognize seduction? Hmm. _Elizabeth hushed the silent voice in her head and continued to gaze up at Darcy, waiting for him to continue.

"Tomorrow," he repeated again and looked deep into her eyes for a moment, lost in their sparking depths. He coughed slightly and looked away, "And, are you staying in Lambton?" Darcy strove for what he thought was a more normal tone and waited for her response. Elizabeth was confused at first, for a moment she was sure that…she shook her head to clear it.

"Yes, at the Rose Inn." Elizabeth was beginning to tire of all of these questions, surely her aunt and uncle would be missing her by now. She needed to get away from Darcy's suddenly overwhelming presence and tried to make her apologies again in order to escape. "I'm so sorry to intrude, they said that the house was open to visitors – we had no idea… Mrs. Reynolds said that it was fine to come up here and that you wouldn't be returning from Town for another few days…." Elizabeth was now babbling in embarrassment, Darcy took a step forward and placed a finger across her lips to silence her. It was the first time that he had touched her whilst they were alone and just the touch of one finger on her slightly trembling mouth was enough to send both of the pulses zinging in excitement.

"Hush, really it's quite alright. As you are up here anyway, would you like to see the portrait gallery? It's just through those doors over there." Darcy took his finger away and pointed Elizabeth in the direction of the closed doors opposite. _Ah, so it was the doors to the right and not the left! _She nodded silently and he gestured with his other hand for her to precede him across the hallway. As soon as her back was turned Darcy whipped the finger that he had pressed against her lips to his mouth and gently sucked. He could taste the mint from her tea and there was a slight lingering fragrance that was pure Elizabeth from where she had caressed herself through her gown. He ran his tongue over his finger and almost moaned aloud at the taste. He craved more but had to be patient… Elizabeth reached the handle of the door and turned it to open, it only opened partway before it got stuck. Darcy hadn't been paying attention and careened straight into the back of Elizabeth who was still trying to get the door to open.

"Oomph…" they both muttered as they realized that his front was plastered to her back and neither was able to move forward. For a split second both relished the feel of planed hardness against soft curves, before Darcy reached a hand around Elizabeth and gave the door a slight push.

"Sorry, sometimes the doors get a little warped in the change of temperature and you just have to give a little…oh!" The door crashed open suddenly and they found themselves abruptly catapulted through. Elizabeth thought she would fall flat onto the hard floor but a quick move from Darcy had her plastered firmly in his secure grip. "Not to worry, I've got you." Once again they found themselves plastered together but somehow this time Darcy had managed to spin Elizabeth around to face him. She fought hard to compose herself, telling herself it was the shock of nearly falling when in reality it was the very nearness of the man holding her so close that she could feel every part of his body pressed against her own.

Darcy realized that his body was betraying him yet again, but Elizabeth didn't appear to be bothered about it in the slightest. _ Maybe she doesn't even realize what it is – or what it does. _ The thought of being the one to introduce that part of himself to Elizabeth made Darcy grow even further and he tried to shift his hips away slightly to bring a little space in between them. For a moment Elizabeth instinctively tried to follow him and pressed her own hips against his, she felt him jerk and this was enough to bring them both to attention and they separated. Darcy steadied Elizabeth with a hand on her shoulder as she spun around to face the gallery. _Wait a minute! Did I just feel his hand on my…?_ Elizabeth turned around to face Darcy again only to find that he was facing the opposite direction waiting to point out a portrait of one of the first Darcy's. She opened her mouth to sputter out an angry retort and then realized that it must have been a draught coming through the open doors. Darcy was watching her expression in a small side mirror just out of her view and breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared that she had nothing to say. Darcy turned now to face Elizabeth and raised an eyebrow in enquiry at her silence, she shrugged slightly and looked out at the window where she could see her aunt and uncle approaching the house.

"I really should be getting back to my aunt and uncle, they must be wondering where I am." Elizabeth was strangely sad at the thought of re-joining her relatives in the garden. It had truly been a remarkable morning and there were so many emotions spinning her mind in every direction that she needed time to process them all.

"Oh, yes of course. I quite understand, perhaps another time then?" Darcy held out his arm and Elizabeth stepped forward to take it, did his words mean that he expected her to visit again, or was he merely being polite? It was all so confusing! Darcy could see Elizabeth struggling with her thoughts and he decided to give her a little space to compose herself. He led her back out into the hall and as they approached the staircase their footsteps drew to a halt.

"Well, goodbye Mr. Darcy. It was lovely seeing you." Elizabeth bobbed a brief curtsey and prepared to make her leave, she found her hand caught in a firm yet gentle grip.

"No, Elizabeth. We should never say goodbye, not between us. Let us just say 'Until we meet again'." Darcy bowed his head over their joined hands and thought for a moment about pressing a kiss to the back of hers and then decided against it. "Until we meet again, Elizabeth."

"Until we meet again, Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth tore her hand from his grip and raced down the staircase, aware that his dark gaze followed her every step. Darcy waited until she was out of sight and then raced back into his bedroom to put on more formal attire. He checked out of his bedroom window to make sure that the party was still in the formal gardens and then made his way slightly more sedately down the staircase. He met Mrs. Reynolds at the foot of the staircase who had her mouth hanging open in shock. Darcy cheekily reached out and pressed a finger on her chin to close it.

"Trying to catch flies, Dottie?" Mrs. Reynolds held back a choked tear, it had been years since Mr. Darcy had called her by his pet name for her, she looked up at him misty eyed and realized that he looked far more relaxed than she had ever seen him, and the way he practically raced down the staircase. Darcy patted his old Nanny on the shoulder and was once again reminded how fortunate he was that she decided to stay on as his housekeeper once his father had passed away. "Now Dottie, there were some people viewing the house earlier…"

"Oh Mr. Darcy, I am so sorry. It's just that I didn't realize you had arrived so early…" Mrs. Reynolds was fully expecting a firm scolding, Darcy was a very private person and preferred that house tours only took place whenever he was in Town or out on the Estate on business.

"Oh, hush now Dottie, I'm not angry – far from it as a matter of fact. I didn't tell anyone I was arriving early, so how could you have known. Now dry those eyes and let me know what you think." Darcy pressed his handkerchief to her palm and when Mrs. Reynolds started to cry again he sighed and dried her tears himself. "Dottie, I love you, you know I do but I'm running out of time here, I don't want them to leave until I know a few things."

"Well, they've asked for the extended tour of the lakes and streams as the gentlemen is a keen fisherman…" Mrs. Reynolds let out a small squeak as a very excited Darcy picked her up to whirl her around.

"Well, Mr. Darcy!" Mrs. Reynolds muttered in shock and scolded him gently, delight shining from her eyes, her little Darcy was back and this time she hoped for good. Darcy coughed a little in embarrassment and glanced around to see whether any of the other staff had caught him acting like a schoolboy. Only the old footman, Henry was around and he gave the younger man a wink of encouragement which Darcy returned with a shrug. Out of the entire staff, only Henry and Dottie had been around his entire life and he felt like they were his family as much as his sister, Georgiana was. Darcy inclined his head towards his study and Mrs. Reynolds and Henry followed close behind. Darcy sat perched on the edge of a leather footstool with Mrs. Reynolds and Henry taking their usual seats on the Chesterfield sofa.

"Right, Dottie you first. What do you think?"

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner…" Dottie started only to be interrupted with Darcy's grunt of disbelief and Henry's chuckle.

"Dottie, you'd better leave this one to me." Henry leant over and clapped a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Darcy, my boy…I don't think you could find anyone more suitable if you tried. When I compare her to the likes of that haughty Caroline Bingley…"

"Oh, Darcy not Caroline Bingley!" Dottie exclaimed in horror, Henry just chuckled and patted her knee.

"I knew you weren't really listening, you daft old bat! Darcy has his eye on the young miss that you sent upstairs earlier. Isn't that right, my lad?"

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet," Darcy almost sighed her name reverently, he still couldn't quite believe that she was actually here on his estate. The fact that Dottie herself had sent Elizabeth upstairs, had not escaped his attention, but he was thankful enough to let the matter pass.

"Oh, Miss Bennet. Yes, she's a lovely lass indeed. A little shy perhaps…" Dottie stopped her musings at Darcy's soft chuckle of amusement and looked up curiously at her master. Henry caught Darcy's eye and winked again, Darcy knew in that moment that their interlude in the gallery had been witnessed by none other than Henry himself. It was Henry that had explained facts about becoming a man and what that actually meant to a growing boy. Although Darcy had loved his father dearly, the elder Mr. Darcy was a very private man and found it hard to discuss such things with a young man with hormones in tumult. Henry explained everything that Darcy needed to know, about releasing the tension that gripped his body and how to prevent any unfortunate results of coupling with willing females. Darcy had not needed to put the latter into practice as he had found that his own hand performed the necessary release quite well. In fact after he had reached maturity he had not needed to perform that task for a number of years until a visit to Hertfordshire and an encounter with a most desirable brunette who had eyes the colour of melted chocolate…

"Darcy, are you still with us lad?" Henry prodded Darcy on the shoulder to bring him back into the discussion.

"Right, that's settled. Now what do you want us to do?" Mrs. Reynolds looked up at Darcy expectantly, quite satisfied with his choice and would support him in every effort to woo her.

"Firstly, can we arrange for luncheon to be served out of the summerhouse for one o'clock?"

"For just the two of you?" Henry winked salaciously and nudged Darcy again. He knew that Darcy would never go against his principles and compromise the girl but still...

"I wish…" Darcy realized what he had just said and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "God, what am I saying? No, of course not! Luncheon for four in the summerhouse, please Mrs. Reynolds. And perhaps dinner too, if I…we can persuade them to stay, if not we can have dinner together in here, like we used to when I was a boy…" Darcy looked over at Mrs. Reynolds writing furiously in her notebook and muttering under her breath. When he reached the part about the three of them dining together she looked up teary eyed and he gently kissed her cheek. "Now then, where was I? Oh yes, Georgiana, Mr. Bingley and his sister's will be arriving tomorrow and I would like to give a small party for them and please also include…"

"The Gardiner's and Miss Bennet? Anyone else?"

"No, I don't want to overwhelm her…after all she's already refused me once…" Darcy stood up and paced the length of the study deep in thought. Mrs. Reynolds and Henry shared a look of disbelief, Darcy to be refused by the girl and yet still wanting to court her? It was inconceivable, it was well known around Derbyshire that once you had been on the bad side of a Darcy it was unlikely you would ever be seen on the other side again.

"May I ask what happened, sir?" Mrs. Reynolds enquired softly. Darcy looked over and smiled tiredly.

"Same old thing, Dottie dearest. I was my usual arrogant self, and could only think of my feelings. I could hardly believe I was hearing her refuse me and yet refuse me she did. _Had I acted in a more gentleman like manner…_Those words shall surely haunt me until I die. So, I decided there and then that I would do all that I could to make amends…unfortunately she left the next day and I was called to business in Town, I did sent her a letter but I'm not sure that she even read it….and yet she is here, in my house and ever in my heart." Darcy looked over and found Henry discreetly wiping his nose and sniffing.

"Well laddie, what you need is Lady Anne's touch."

"Oh Henry, what a good idea!" Mrs. Reynolds clapped her hands in delight. Darcy looked on in confusion, his mother had died giving birth to his sister when he was fourteen years old. He really had no idea what Henry was talking about.

"Every year at the end of August your Mother would have a summer Fayre here at the house, she would invite the local gentry and such but it was really for the tenant farmers and the servants of the house. All of the regular staff were given the day off and temporaries were brought in from the other estates…"

"There would be picnics and bonfires, competitions for the children as well as the grown-ups; it really was a most splendid party." Mrs. Reynolds finished by clapping her hands together with delight.

"They are supposed to be going on to Matlock tomorrow and will only be in Derbyshire for a few more days. I can't have an end of Summer Fayre two weeks early. What should I do?"

"Ask her to stay, lad, ask her to stay."

"I can't ask her to do that, it wouldn't be at all acceptable."

"I know that lad, what I mean is, why not ask if the aunt could stay with her? They could stay here at the house so that they wouldn't have to pay for lodgings, Dottie here can get everyone involved in making the lass feel welcome."

"It would be like she was learning the ropes of running the household…"

"But without the hassle of having me as a husband…and with no expectations. Henry, Dottie you are both brilliant! But, I have an idea that is even better! Dottie, please prepare an extra six bedrooms – along with the usual for the Bingley's…oh and Dottie please make sure that Miss Bennet's room is in the family part of the house, perhaps the blue room next to Georgiana's?"

"What about Miss Bingley – she's always made it clear that she would like to become part of the family?" Mrs. Reynolds said with a sideways wink at Henry.

"Decidedly NOT in the family wing, I would like a room for Miss Bennet prepared in our wing. I would like rooms prepared for Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, Mrs. Gardiner and two others in the guest quarters – please put Miss Bingley as far away from me as you can get." Darcy shuddered at the thought and glanced at the clock. "Right, twelve o'clock now, I'll go and see whether I can catch up with them down by the lake and will leave everything in your capable hands." He bounded to his feet and checked that every article of clothing was in its proper place. He stopped by the small mirror and tried to smooth his unruly curls that persisted in drooping over his forehead. He looked back over his shoulder and gave them a wink, "Wish me luck."

Mrs. Reynolds watched him leave and sighed heavily, Henry rose to his feet and offered her a hand up.

"What is it Dottie?" the footman asked, concern for the housekeeper colouring his tone.

"It's so lovely to see him so enthused again, I thought I would never see him happy. But what if she says no again? I don't think I would be able to bear it." Mrs. Reynolds sniffled a little and Henry patted her on the shoulder.

"Well then, Dottie my girl. Raise the troops and let's spread the word. We'll make her feel so welcome that she won't be able to say no. Oh, and Dottie let's offer them every opportunity to be alone together…let's just let nature take its course.

"Henry, no the poor girl!" Mrs. Reynolds was scandalized at the very thought, to have them caught in a compromising position and then be forced into marriage was not something that she was willing to be part of. Henry knew that expression all too well, and offered an explanation.

"Now I didn't say anything about letting them get caught, did I? I'm just saying that I want everyone to practice getting scarce whenever they see them together; I want everyone to suddenly become deaf, blind and dumb. I assure you, my dear, that if you had seen what I saw on the staircase this morning, we won't have too long to wait for our next Mrs. Darcy." Henry winked at Mrs. Reynolds as he left the study leaving her puzzling his remarks.

"Wait Henry, whatever do you mean? Stop! You can't just leave it like that!"

"Well, I'm not one to gossip but…." Henry made sure no one could over hear and bent low to whisper into her ear.

"Really? My goodness…oh my!" Mrs. Reynolds heard that Henry had been passing the upstairs hallway when he first noticed Miss Bennet standing outside of Darcy's room that morning. He was just about to offer her his assistance when he heard the unmistakable sound of Darcy's pleasure through the doorway. He had quickly moved down the back staircase and made sure that the two staircases and hallways were to be kept completely cleared until he authorized otherwise. Henry himself had kept out of sight until he heard them approaching the portrait gallery, it was only then that he allowed staff into the lower hallway and kept watch on the upper staircase himself.

"Staff meeting in the kitchen then Henry. Gather the troops, NOW HENRY!" Mrs. Reynolds issued the order and the main household upper staff gathered around the table. There was a moment of hushed astonishment at the bravery of the master and then everyone agreed to help. It was almost like a military campaign, the upper staff were to brief the other members of their teams right down to the scullery maids. Everyone were issued with their assignments which ranged from finding out which bath salts and flowers Miss Bennet preferred to whether she preferred meat or fish for her main course. Mrs. Reynolds had noted in conversations held with her aunt and uncle that Miss Bennet appeared to come from a simple country background and decided that the meals presented throughout her stay would be simple and elegant with no more than five courses. Discrete enquiries would be made on a daily basis with everyone paying close attention to whenever a particular favourite was mentioned. There would be a reward offered of a shilling apiece for whatever snippet of information to be gathered. Indeed the whole staff was in a tizzy at the thought.

"The master's never paid this much attention to a guest before, cook's always prepared his favourite dishes regardless of whoever is staying. I remember when cottage pie was served and that horrible Miss Bingley refused to eat any…Oh, Mr. Henry, I didn't see you there." A young housemaid who had been gossiping to a parlour maid was crimson in horror, convinced that she would be served her dismissal.

"Not to worry, Nancy. Just be a little more careful from now on, and don't forget to keep your ear to the ground." Henry scolded her gently and then patted her head in encouragement. "There's a good girl, now be off with you, you too Daisy." He sent both girls off and went back into the kitchen, satisfied that everything was going according to plan, Henry sat down at the head of the table and accepted a stout mug of tea.

"All set? Right, let battle commence." He looked around at his team and they all raised their mugs in tribute.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Just wanted to say a big 'thank you!' to everyone that's left a review so far; you wanted more so here it is...**

Darcy walked quickly, but steadily to where he had last seen Elizabeth and her relatives disappear from view. He quickened his pace when he realized that they would shortly be rounding the next corner and he wanted to meet them as they approached. Elizabeth was the first one to recognize his approach, she quickened her own pace to offer them a few moments alone before her aunt and uncle caught up with her.

"Until we meet again, Mr. Darcy? I had thought that you meant more than an hour in passing?" She raised her hand in greeting and Darcy bowed low over it, millimetres away from touching it with his mouth, still the whisper of warm breath was enough to raise the hairs on the back of her bare arm and she barely suppressed a shiver of delight. Darcy hid a grin as he rose to his feet and gestured over to a nearby sawn log.

"Delighted to see you, as ever Miss Bennet. I had a question to ask you, more of a favour really. Will you sit?" Darcy pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and laid it down to protect the back of her dress getting soiled from the log. Elizabeth murmured her thanks and sat down expectantly. Darcy paced in front of her and then rather than seating himself beside her raised one foot onto the log and placed his hands in his breeches pockets. Elizabeth sucked in a deep breath at the memories that immediately sprang to mind from where she had last seen him strike that very same pose earlier that day. _That must be his favourite thinking position, amongst other things._ Darcy drew in a breath to speak and noticed Elizabeth looking a little glassy eyed, he immediately withdrew his leg from the bench; inwardly cursing. _Blasted idiotic, imbecile! _ Elizabeth was indeed correct in her assumption, that position was in fact his favourite thinking pose and he could spend hours hitched to a wooden fence, or next to a babbling stream with a fishing pole in hand. _Or propped up against a window ledge with something else entirely in hand…._ Darcy remained with his back to Elizabeth struggling for composure, how was this scheme supposed to work when the very idea of her made him rigid with desire?

"Mr. Darcy? You were saying…? I don't mean to rush you but our carriage is due to take us back to the inn for luncheon shortly…" Elizabeth called out softly to his back and then continued, "Ah, here is my aunt and uncle, they must have seen something catch their eye as I was almost certain they were directly behind me." Darcy turned around and noticed the Gardiners approaching them, slightly behind them was one of the grounds men who had obviously been told to keep them occupied for a few moments. The man tipped his hat discreetly in Darcy's direction and then silently disappeared into the woodland.

"Would you do me the honour of introducing me to your companions? For what I have to ask, concerns them both as well." Elizabeth looked a little perplexed certain Darcy was about to press his suit for marriage again. He caught sight of her expression and merely smiled enigmatically back at her before walking forward to meet the other couple. Elizabeth smiled ruefully to herself and went forward to make the introductions.

"Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gardiner…Mr. Darcy." Edward held out his hand to Darcy and Lucy made a curtsey in greeting. "Lucy is my aunt, Mr. Darcy. My sister Jane stayed at their house when she was recently in London."

"I'm very pleased to meet you both. You are staying in Lambton, I hear."

"Yes, I grew up there as a girl," replied Lucy, quite at ease with the handsome young man before her. She had caught a brief glimpse of him standing with one leg raised on the log but before she could mention anything to her husband; their attention had been snagged by the attentive grounds man that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Delightful village, I remember running from Pemberley to Lambton as a young boy." Darcy turned to Edward, "Mr. Gardiner do you care for fishing?" Darcy found himself conversing quite easily with the couple, he had been quite prepared for another Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, but this couple were really quite delightful. He found that he was more at ease the longer the conversation went on and he felt himself shifting from Mr. Darcy, master of Pemberley Hall to just plain Darcy, fisherman and nature lover.

"I love it! Don't get often get the chance these days, though."

"Well, you must come and fish in my trout stream before you move on. Or there are carp, trench and pike in the lake here if that is your preference?" Darcy gestured over to the lake and the two men watched the fish jump in the cooler waters where it was shaded. Lucy sighed softly to herself, it looked as though their plans to journey on towards Matlock would have to be put off for another day. She recognized all too well what that determined look on her husband's eager face really meant; it was the same look that he used to persuade her that two children were better than one, then three children were better than two – before she knew it she was the mother of four boisterous children and had put her foot firmly down against having any more.

"Ah, Lucy dearest…?"

"Edward, I'll agree to anything except having another child!" She crossed her arms over her chest and laughed at their expression. "Sorry dearest, I was just thinking when you turned around just now, that here comes a man who wants something that he knows I am going to say no to…"

"Ah, yes the children…" The Gardiners shared a fond smile of recollection and it made Elizabeth sneak a questioning look over in Darcy's direction; certain that she would find a look of distain on his face. Instead though, he was chuckling in wry amusement and holding up his hands in surrender.

"Ladies, Edward…may I suggest that we continue this discussion over a spot of luncheon in the summerhouse? I know that you had made plans to return to the Inn but I was hoping to persuade you to spend the remainder of the day here with me at Pemberley? I thought that after luncheon I thought that Edward could join me in a spot of fishing – ladies there are plenty of gentle walks along the river or there are amusements up at the house if you would prefer?" Darcy made the offer to all but kept his gaze on Elizabeth at all times. Edward nudged his wife when he noticed the other man's rapt attention upon his niece. Lucy made a show of protest for appearances sake but was all too happy to spend the remainder of the day at this beautiful house. A beautiful smile spread across Darcy's face and it was if a weight had been lifted, for his eyes brightened and he straightened his spine and offered his arm to Lucy to accompany her towards the summerhouse. Edward took Elizabeth's hand and swung it between them.

"What ho, Lizzie, what do you think of that? Imagine Mr. Darcy inviting me to fish in his trout streams and to luncheon…and at our first meeting no less. What do you think that means?"

"It means, Uncle Edward that you are far too modest to realize that Mr. Darcy genuinely likes you. I haven't ever seen him this relaxed, not even when he is around his best friend Mr. Bingley. Just enjoy the day…" Elizabeth reached up and placed a kiss on her uncle's cheek and was delighted at the blush that rose over his whiskers.

"Steady young miss, I don't want the wife getting jealous!" Elizabeth let out a peal of laughter that sounded like softly chiming bells, Darcy and Lucy looked back to see Elizabeth resting her head on her uncle's shoulder and Edward leaning down to gently kiss her head. Darcy hadn't realized he had sighed until Lucy gently patted his hand. When he turned to look over, he immediately realized that Elizabeth must have told her aunt what had happened between them in Kent.

"Why did she refuse you, Mr. Darcy? It's obvious that you care for her a great deal, I know from what Lizzie has told me that she is not completely indifferent to you…"At these words, Darcy felt hope springing up in his chest and he was just about to question Lucy further when she held up a hand to stay his words. "No, I won't break her confidence, but I will tell you that given time, she may just change her mind."

"Well, it's funny you should mention that...please allow me tell you about an idea that I had this morning…" Elizabeth looked ahead to see Darcy lean his head close towards her aunt in intent conversation. Edward looked over and smiled secretively; almost certain that Darcy was revealing the very same plan that he had already discussed with Edward down in their brief moment at the lake. Edward was all in favour of the plan, he hated to see either of his favourite nieces unhappy and this scheme of Darcy's was just about crazy enough to work. When the two couples met at the dinner table, a quick check in his wife's direction assured Edward that she was fully in favour of the idea…now they just had to persuade Elizabeth.

As they ate the delicious meal of cold chicken salad and lemon mousse, Elizabeth couldn't help but notice the exchange of glances between her relatives and their host. She had finally had enough once the last spoonful of mousse had been eaten and laid down her napkin. She looked up at the footman standing just behind her chair. He was waiting for her to select her preferred beverage.

"Coffee, tea or chocolate, Miss?" Timothy asked, ready to memorize her choice.

"Ooh, Chocolate…no don't be a glutton Elizabeth! Mornings only, remember!" Elizabeth looked up to see everyone looking at her in amusement. "Please excuse me, I have a bit of an addiction to chocolate so I am trying to only drink it in the mornings, it's far too expensive to have with every meal. So…tea please with lemon and mint, I usually don't drink coffee at all, never really acquired the taste." She requested, and her cup was poured. Everyone laughed including the young footman, who had caught his master's eye and nodded slightly in return. Pots of hot chocolate would be offered to Miss Bennet at every meal and she should be encouraged to indulge as often as she liked. Timothy would also receive an extra shilling for recommending that small boxes of truffles should be placed on the young ladies pillow when her bed was made up. It probably wouldn't hurt if the truffles were placed on her aunt's pillow too…

"Would someone please tell me what on earth is going on? I know there is something so don't tell me it's nothing!" Elizabeth was growing increasingly concerned with the frequency of the glances between all three of them and it was beginning to annoy her.

"Lizzie dear, Darcy has a slight problem that he was hoping that we would all be able to assist him with. He's told me that he has a plan and your aunt and I think it's a capital idea but obviously we won't agree to it unless you are fully on board with it too." Edward leant across the table to capture Elizabeth's hand and smiled engagingly at her.

"Umm, Edward you might want to inform Lizzie what the actual plan is first?" Lucy patted her husband's arm and he sat back in his chair, visions of fly fishing dancing around his head.

"Very good idea, Lucy. But perhaps I should enlighten Miss Bennet?" Darcy was quite aware that neither Lucy nor Edward knew quite where to begin.

"Perhaps you are right, Darcy. Edward, shall we go outside and sit on that bench whilst we wait for Darcy to enlighten Lizzie?" Lucy didn't wait for Edward to respond before dragging him outside with his cup of tea, they remained in full view but just out of earshot. Elizabeth was quite shocked to hear Darcy acting so informal with her relatives in just a short space of time, heavens he had even proposed to her and they referred to each other by their formal names!

"Well, Mr. Darcy? I am all aquiver and await your master plan…" Elizabeth leant on her elbows on the table, fully aware of the rules of propriety that they were breaking that day, too many to list and at that point she was beyond caring anymore. It was very strange to be having a conversation alone with a man that only a few weeks earlier she had disliked immensely, now though her feelings towards him were confusing and jumbled; but dislike certainly wasn't one of them…

"Please won't you just call me Darcy, or even just Fitzwilliam? Every time I hear Mr. Darcy coming from your lips I think of how awful I acted when we were in Kent, and I would like to start afresh." Elizabeth thought for a moment and then suggested an alternative.

"Your friends seem to call you Darcy, but is that really what you would prefer? It still seems quite formal somehow. What did your Mother call you?"

"Just plain old Fitz, but Miss Bennet I don't really want to think of my mother when you speak my name…" Darcy's eyes shone with barely kindled desire as he leant a little closer, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation. He needed have worried, the footman and parlour maids had all retreated to a safe distance as soon as the Gardiner's ventured outside and were all heeding the words spoken by Henry that morning – _deaf, blind and mute, nothing gets overheard and if I hear any gossiping from any of you, well need I go on?_

"Well in that case, I will call you 'Darcy' when we are in company and what about 'William' when we are with friends?" Elizabeth suggested and found herself blushing when Darcy took her hand and squeezed it. "I hope you will return the favour and stop calling me 'Miss Bennet'? I keep turning around expecting to see one of my sister's standing behind me! And after all, we are hardly strangers anymore are we?"

"Not strangers at all…" Darcy almost purred, "And it would be my utmost pleasure…Elizabeth," Darcy felt a tingling in the back of his neck as soon as he spoke her name aloud for the very first time in company. He had spoken her name many a time in his sleep, and had even selected his own pet name for her 'Libby' rather than the chosen 'Lizzie' preferred by her family. 'Lizzie' to him seemed hard and he much preferred the softer sound of 'Libby', especially in his more intimate of thoughts. Darcy squeezed her hand again in response and was delighted to see the hairs on the back of her arms raise up again at his touch.

"So then, William. Tell me about this master plan, you have the same look on your face as my uncle wore as when he was trying to persuade my aunt that they really ought to have more than one child…Oh Gosh, they aren't trying to use me to persuade her to have another are they?" Elizabeth gave a small shriek when Darcy suddenly burst into full laughter that made his eyes run with mirth. Edward looked over at the noise and was smiling amusingly when Elizabeth shooed him away. "William, if you don't tell me what it is this instant…I swear!" Elizabeth sat back in her chair and crossed her arms impatiently across her chest. Darcy held up a hand in apology and tried to stop his laughter, at Elizabeth's cross snort he looked over at her and suddenly all amusement left his mind as he looked at her firm breasts being pushed up higher by her crossed arms. He sat straighter in chair and dragged it in further under the table to hide his natural response to the vision before him. Darcy cleared his throat and looked away and then back at her again. When he had to take a sip of water to moisten his suddenly very dry mouth, Elizabeth looked down at where her breasts were practically pushing out of her bodice by the action of her arms, and with a shocked gasp placed her arms back onto the table.

"Do you remember my mentioning how frightfully shy my sister, Georgiana has become over the past year?" Darcy was amazed to hear a normal tone coming from his near constricted throat. Grateful that Elizabeth had placed her arms back onto the table top, he felt able to form complete words and sentences once again. He looked up to see Elizabeth nod and continued, "It has become increasingly difficult for her to appear in public and even when I encouraged Charles…Mr. Bingley… to bring his sister's on his visits to expand her circle of acquaintances it still doesn't seem enough." At Elizabeth's indrawn breath at the mention of Caroline Bingley, Darcy rose his eyes to her face. "Surely you didn't think that I have invited her for any other reason…?" Satisfied that Elizabeth now realized for certain that he had never harboured any desire to further his relationship in any way other than to help his sister, Darcy felt able to continue. "Anyway, it has long been a tradition here at Pemberley to hold celebrations for the tenant farmers, local magistrates, gentry and such a number of times throughout the year. Up until a few years ago my Aunt Catherine was hostess…until she came up with the idea that it would be perfect for me to marry her daughter Anne." Darcy risked a quick glance at Elizabeth's face to gauge her reaction, and was very pleased to see that her eyes had narrowed at the idea of his marrying another woman. He continued on. "I of course, had no intention of marrying my cousin, and Georgiana was not old enough to act as hostess so I put a hold on the events until I thought she was ready. After the events of last summer and her withdrawal from society; I find it hard to believe that without a little help Georgiana may never be ready." Darcy felt Elizabeth carefully watching him and looked over to see her intent gaze, which was one of the things that he loved most about her – she looked directly at you when she was making up her mind and didn't mince her words.

"How can I help then?" With those simple five words, Darcy knew that he had made the right choice in this woman. He reached over the table and brought her hand up to his mouth. He muttered a brief thank you and then pressed his lips in a tender kiss to the palm of her hand. Her fingers fluttered briefly against his cheek before she snatched her hand away, cheeks flushed most becomingly.

"Mr. Darcy!" Shocked, she could only look down at her hands twisting in her lap. _Somehow Mr. Darcy doesn't sound bad at all, especially in that husky whisper of hers…_

"I apologize, Elizabeth. I got carried away for a moment, forgive me please?" Darcy begged for her forgiveness and prayed that he hadn't just missed his one chance to convince her of his plan. At her brief nod, he continued. "I have asked your aunt and uncle whether it would be at all possible for you all to come to Pemberley again tomorrow to meet with Georgiana, if the two of you get along I would like to see whether you would be able to draw her out of her shell. You are closer to her own temperament than Caroline Bingley could ever hope to be and I hope that over time the two of you can become friends."

"How much time are we talking here? Uncle Edward is due back at the solicitors' office in a weeks' time and I don't think that would be enough time to be of any use, perhaps Georgiana could return with us back to Longbourn? No that would never work, my sister's would be too much for her to handle, never mind my mother. I wish Jane were here! She would know what to do…." At the look on Darcy's face, Elizabeth stopped her reflection and just stared. "What, William? You have the strangest look on your face, was it something I said?"

"Elizabeth Bennet, I could kiss you right now…but I'm not going to. I am determined to become 'more gentleman like'…" It was Darcy's turn to break off now at the distress on his beloved's face. "Elizabeth, don't look like that….you said it most clearly to me and I'm trying to change, I really am."

"Please don't mention what I said to you that day! I am just ashamed of my actions and shudder to think how cruelly I rejected you. If you were not gentlemen like, I certainly was not ladylike either." Elizabeth closed her eyes in dismay and opened them again to find Darcy starting to kneel before her. She reached out a hand to stop him from going any further. "Don't ask me again today, William. It's clear to me now that I may have been a little hasty in my decision back then, but that said I don't think that I am quite ready to yet in my mind." She whispered softly and shyly raised up her eyes to meet his shining gaze. He sat back down again and reached for her hand instead.

"What does your heart tell you to say?" Darcy whispered in return, his warm breath tickling her palm. She didn't reply just curled her fingers into his palm in response and sighed deeply.

"Where were we?" Darcy struggled to recollect where he had got to in his plan. His grip tightened momentarily when a voice from behind them cut in.

"Well, from where I'm standing it looked as though you were about to kiss her and then remembered that you were a gentleman…" Edward and Lucy were standing in the archway of the summer house, looking on in amusement at Darcy's obvious discomfort. "Come along, man. Tell her the rest of the plan and make it quick. We're wasting the best of the afternoon with the two of you making cow eyes at each other." Edward gave a bellowing laugh and for a moment Darcy was reminded that Edward shared the same parents as Elizabeth's mother and at certain times, like right at that very moment, it was clear that the same forthright manner was obviously a family trait. Luckily, Edward was, on the whole, a far more likeable character and Darcy realized that he had better get used to it if he wanted to keep Elizabeth in his life.

"Edward, dear maybe you had better tell Elizabeth the rest of the idea. From the sounds of it Lizzie had already made up her mind to help anyway." Lucy sat down at the table and accepted a cool glass of lemonade to quench her thirst. Edward paced in the doorway and glanced over to where Darcy was absentmindedly tracing a pattern on the inside of Elizabeth's palm, every now and then she would wrap her fingers around his hand and they would remain still before the same pattern would start over again.

"Elizabeth, your aunt and I have agreed to not continue our journey any further into Derbyshire but to remain at the Inn at Lambton for the rest of the week. We will journey here to Pemberley every day where your aunt can assist you in trying to draw young Miss Georgiana out of her shell. Mr. Bingley, Darcy and I will spend the mornings fishing and then will return to the house every afternoon so that Miss Georgiana will only have to practice her social skills for a short time each day. It's Monday now, on Thursday I shall return with your aunt and Mr. Darcy to Longbourn where we propose to collect your sister Jane and the children and then Mr. Darcy proposes that he brings Lucy, Jane and the children back to Pemberley where you can all spend the remainder of the summer. The hope is that by the end of August, Miss Georgiana will have come out of her shell enough to act as hostess for the Lady Anne Summer Fayre which will be held on the last Saturday of the month. If not, then your Aunt has offered to act as hostess with your assistance. I shall return myself on the Monday before hand to assist in any way that I can, and then I can escort you all back to Longbourn after the Fayre. I think that just about covers it, doesn't it Darcy?" Edward finally finished running through the whole scheme and it somehow the whole thing made perfect sense to Elizabeth, except for one small detail.

"How long will the two of you leave me alone with _that_ woman?" Lucy and Edward automatically assumed that Elizabeth was talking about Georgiana and drew back in shock. Darcy however knew exactly who she meant, Caroline Bingley who would delight in making her feel like the imposter once Darcy had left. Darcy reached out to take Elizabeth's hand.

"Libby, someone needs to escort Lucy, Jane and the children back into Derbyshire. I can hardly ask Charles to go, he doesn't know the Gardiners and I think that he would be very uncomfortable travelling that distance with Jane, knowing this are still unsettled between them." Darcy wasn't even aware of the little pet name slipping out until it was too late, he was tense for a moment until he realized that Elizabeth didn't appear to mind at all. She grumbled a bit under her breath and then reluctantly agreed, knowing full well that Caroline would probably not hesitate in making her feel like an interloper in Darcy's house as soon as he left. He out a finger to smooth the worry line that appeared between her eyes and before he quite realized what he was doing, he found himself pressing a reassuring kiss to her forehead. The Gardiners found that something outside had caught their interest and turned away from the younger couple to give them a brief moment of privacy.

Darcy groaned a little under his breath and the suddenly swept his intended bride into his arms for a crushing embrace. Elizabeth watched, mesmerized as his head slowly lowered to hers. Her lips parted slightly and welcomed the touch of his sensual kiss. Desire raged over his heated skin, causing his pulse rate to leap and speed up. Her open-mouthed reaction to his seeking tongue caused his groin to stir. He pressed her tightly against him for a moment or two and then just as swiftly released her before she could feel his excited body betraying him and strode out of the archway. He paused for a moment to catch his breath and then called over to the other man who was amusing himself by counting how many fish were jumping in the stream.

"Edward, shall we walk down to the lake to see how the fish are biting today? I fear it may be a little too warm for them and we may have to wait until tomorrow morning when it is likely to be cooler." Darcy called out the invitation and without waiting for the other man to catch up started to walk down to the lake.

"Go to him, Edward. He needs a little time away from her. It's been a very intense afternoon and I think that they both could do with a little perspective." Lucy gave her husband a little shove and then watched whilst he hurried to catch up with Darcy. Lucy entered the overly warm summer house and saw that Elizabeth was still standing in the same spot that Darcy had left her in.

"Lizzie, dear are you quite alright?" she asked gently, Elizabeth turned a shocked look at her aunt.

"He….and then he just left..! He left…!" Lucy smiled in amazement and the young woman standing before her, it was just like Lizzie not to be cross with a man for kissing and holding her tight, but no – Lizzie Bennet was angry that he left!

"I mean, really! One minute he's about to propose….then he starts talking about his sister….the next thing I know I'm practically being asked to move into his home…and to prepare his sister for society! It's really all very confusing and I'm not sure what I have really agreed to do…" Elizabeth suddenly slumped over the table and groaned. "Ah, this is probably what being married to him would be like, he's so changeable that I won't ever really know what's going on his mind."

"Lizzie, dear. If you really don't want to do this, we'll simply go on as we planned and say no more about it. But I think that if you refuse, well…" Lucy let her voice trail away and noticed that her niece was sitting very straight in the chair.

"He'd never ask again, would he?" The thought of Darcy leaving her alone and marrying someone else suddenly made Elizabeth's heart wrench in her chest and her mind was made up. She suddenly knew that she was absolutely certain of her rightful place in the world, here at Pemberley wrapped securely in Darcy's arms and his heart. No one else was going to take her place if she could help it.

"No dear, I don't think that his heart or his pride would let him." Lucy reached out to console her niece and was very surprised to see Elizabeth patting her hair in place and tucking a very masculine looking handkerchief into a hidden pocket of her dress.

"Well, we can't have that now can we?" Elizabeth took a breath and made a decision there and then.

"Can't have what dear?" Lucy was very confused now and had lost track of the conversation completely. The heat of the afternoon was making her headache slightly and she was longing to go up to the main house and just sit for a while in the cool back parlour to rest. Elizabeth looked over at her aunt and smiled, "We're just going to take a short walk down to the lake to see the menfolk and then we'll go and find a nice cool lemonade up at the main house and rest for a while. In fact, why don't you head there and wait for me? I just have something to say to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and then I will join you."

"No, I think I might enjoy the breeze from the lake and you still haven't answered my question – what can't you have?"

Elizabeth just smiled secretly and started to stroll down towards the lake. Lucy shook her head and followed her niece, she winced at the sun and wished that she had remembered to bring her parasol with her. A gentle cough from behind revealed the same young footman that had served luncheon. He was holding out a delicate white parasol that he offered to Lucy with a gentle smile. She accepted with delight and opened it up to immediately feel the effect of gentle dappled shade peeking through the lacy holes. Lucy hurried her steps, anxious to catch up with Elizabeth before she missed any of the drama. She huffed a little in exertion and finally caught up with her niece as she was making her final approach to where the men were watching the lake with intent.

"Mr. Darcy, might I have a quick word with you?" At Elizabeth's strangely cooing voice, Darcy immediately turned around and found himself staring into the face of an extremely annoyed young woman. _You've really done it now, Darcy. She'll never accept you now, why did you kiss her like that?_

"A little closer please, Mr. Darcy. I don't want to have to shout." Elizabeth took a single step closer, hoping to encourage Darcy to do the same. She looked over at her aunt and made a little gesture to indicate that Lucy should move away slightly. Darcy stopped moving and allowed Elizabeth to come up to him. She looked him directly in his eye as she grasped him firmly by the lapels of his morning coat to pull him up firmly against her.

"Listen to me very closely, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy! If you ever, ever do that to me again I will never allow you to ask that question! Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?" The very nearness of his Elizabeth holding him so close had him struck dumb, Darcy realized that Elizabeth was waiting for his response and could only assume that she didn't want him to kiss her, so why then did she still want him to ask her to marry him? The only possible explanation was so that she could continue to reject him again and again.

"Men! You can be so hard to understand sometimes!" Elizabeth nearly growled in frustration, which only made Darcy even more befuddled. Elizabeth heard Lucy gently clearing her throat to get her attention.

"Lizzie, dear I think a little payback is in order don't you?" She gave a little smile of encouragement to her niece, making sure that Elizabeth was in no doubt of her support and then called out to her husband. "Edward, you may want to step away from Darcy just a little bit. In fact, why don't you come over here for a moment so that I can explain things a little better?" Edward looked at his wife who nodded pointedly at where Elizabeth still held Darcy firmly by his coat and then followed her nod at the river below. Lucy kept moving her head from Darcy to the river and back again and Edward finally understood what was about to happen.

"Oh…yes, I see. Well, capital idea…just what the boy needs." Edward blustered a little and then place his hands in his pockets to watch the afternoon entertainment.

"Which part, dear?" Lucy enquired softly.

"Well from the looks of things, I would say both of them…" They looked over to where Elizabeth was drawing Darcy closer and closer and then suddenly leant down to kiss him firmly on the lips. Darcy was utterly shocked for a second, and then was an active participant in the kiss. At Elizabeth's soft moan, Darcy took immediate action and darted the very tip of his tongue into the moist cavern of her mouth, where it slipped over the surface over her teeth to encourage her tongue to follow his. The feel of her shy response as her tongue briefly darted into his mouth before quickly retreat only encouraged his hands to slip from her waist to cup her firm buttocks and urged her even closer to his throbbing arousal. As their thighs touched, Darcy felt his hips jerk forward in response. One of his hands left off caressing her bottom to make a slow upwards journey….Darcy groaned as Elizabeth tore her mouth away, gasping for breath, he moved his head desperate to have that contact back again, only to find that Elizabeth had moved his hands away too.

"Aaah…Elizabeth." Darcy kept his eyes closed as he felt the soft flutter of tiny hands caressing his chest…wait a minute they weren't caressing; they were pushing hard! Darcy's eyes flew open as he fought to regain his footing on the slippery edge of the lake, unsuccessful he found himself up to his waist in cool, silted water.

"What….? Elizabeth…? ELIZABETH BENNET….! You get back here right now!" Darcy struggled to his feet and waded to the edge of the river. Edward reached out a hand to assist but Darcy was too angry to accept. He scrambled up the side of the river and looked up at Elizabeth, who was still standing where she had pushed him in.

"Now you know how I felt when you left me in that summer house and walked away without a word…" Darcy groaned when he finally realized what this whole mess was about, she wasn't angry about the kiss or the way that he held her. No, not his Elizabeth, she was more annoyed at the fact that he had reverted back to his arrogant self and stalked away without a word. Elizabeth knew that she had finally broken through, and knelt on the bank and reached out a hand to help him up. Darcy reached up to caress her face and before she knew it, Elizabeth was chest deep in water with him.

"MR. DARCY…!" Elizabeth coughed and spluttered on the stream water and Darcy could hear the shock in Lucy's voice as she scolded him from above.

"Lucy, would you mind sending word up to the house that we would like two baths prepared please, and ask if Mrs. Reynolds could find out some clothing of Georgiana's for Elizabeth to change into? Edward would you mind lending Elizabeth your jacket, I'm afraid that her dress is a little worse for wear?" Darcy called out instructions to the river bank and gently patted Elizabeth on the back to help her catch her breath. "Elizabeth dear, I'm going to need you to keep your back towards the bank whilst I go and fetch Edwards's jacket. No don't turn around, just stay there a moment until I return." Darcy waded over to where Edward was holding out his jacket. Both men leant towards each other in a whispered conversation.

"Darcy, she needs to get out of the water and soon. She could catch a chill in that water, I'll wait here until you get that jacket over her, I'll help you out and then clear the way for you to get Lizzie out without drawing too much attention to her." Darcy was in full agreement, he didn't even want Edward to see her and both men agreed they would try to do it as swiftly as possible. Darcy waded back over to where Elizabeth stood shivering in the water. He held the jacket over his shoulder so that it wouldn't get too wet before crossing around to stand in front of Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth, I'm going to guide you back slowly to where the shallows start and then I'm going to wrap Edwards's jacket around you and get you out of the water, alright?" Elizabeth just nodded her head in mortification, her muslin dress had soaked straight through and was now completed transparent. She could see the shadows of her privates where the current was gently pressing the damp cloth against her. Without even looking she could feel that the cold water had caused her nipples to swell and harden against the wet front of her bodice. Darcy placed one hand on her hip to slowly guide her backwards into the shallows and tried desperately to keep his eyes fixed firmly on her face and not to stray downwards where her erect nipples were almost rubbing against his chest. He moved a little further back from her and wondered why the cold water was having absolutely no effect on his arousal pressing insistently against the flap of his breeches. The cold water had made his trousers plaster against his muscular legs and he knew that his risen manhood was clearly visible through the thin material, he only hoped Elizabeth wouldn't notice.

"Why did you leave me alone like that?" Elizabeth questioned, desperate to keep her mind off the chilling water of the stream. She had really thought that the water would have been warmer, the July sun had been blazing down for weeks now.

"Might we discuss this a little later, perhaps when we have at least gotten out of the water?" Darcy was trying hard to keep his gaze averted and his mind off of his arousal but it was an almost impossible task. Edward was leaning off of the bank with his arm outstretched ready to assist Darcy and to hand over his jacket. Darcy took hold of the jacket instead of the arm and wrapped it around the shivering Elizabeth, who was now only up to her knees in water. He scrambled up the bank and stretched out both arms to lift her clear out of the water, without any outward signs of effort at all. Edward quickly turned away from this sight of Darcy's obvious discomfort and the fact that the muslin of Elizabeth's dress might as well have been tissue paper.

"I'll…just…see you both back at the house." Edward cleared his throat uncomfortably and quickly scurried away up the incline toward the house, leaving Darcy and Elizabeth alone on the banks of the stream.

"Well William, I am still waiting for an explanation." Elizabeth shivered as the cold, smelly water dripped down her neck. Darcy set her on her feet for a moment and pulled the jacket completely around her, enclosing her in the warmth. He then lifted her back up into his arms and started toward the house, searching for the right words.

"Elizabeth, when you returned my kisses back in the summerhouse it…well it excited me a little too much." There he had said it, whether she understood his meaning, remained to be seen.

"And that meant you had to leave?" Elizabeth was a little confused, she had only seen him from behind in his bedchamber earlier and had assumed that he had been taking a bath and she had caught him naked; what had he been doing that had made him call out her name like that?

"Well, when a man gets excited…it means that…well I wanted more than your kiss!" Darcy was feeling quite uncomfortable, her unblinking gaze and forthright questioning had dampened his arousal so much that he was now merely feeling cold and irritated. _Surely her Mother had explained these things to her when she first entered womanhood? I thought that all young girls were advised about these things to prepare them for the marriage bed! _

"How much more? What do you mean?" Elizabeth was not satisfied with the vague answers that Darcy was giving her, what did he really want from her?

"Libby! You must have realised, or seen in the water that I…well, that I was aroused." At her blank look, Darcy stifled a wry grin. "You really have no idea how you tempt me, do you? Elizabeth, darling, in the summer house I was ready and willing to make you my own…in _every _way possible." At these last words, Elizabeth finally caught his meaning and flushed with embarrassment. How naïve could she possibly get? She had heard vague stories of what happens to a man's appendage when excited but it was only now that she realised exactly how it affected them; which also helped her to understand what he had really been up to in his bedchamber earlier.

"Oh…!"

"Yes, oh indeed. Now do you mind if we change the subject, or I think I may just have to excuse myself again." Darcy shifted Elizabeth higher in his arms and strode onwards up the hill. The expression on her face when she had finally made the connection had made him shiver in reaction and it appeared that he had a very fast recovery time indeed. He fully expected Elizabeth to turn on him in disgust but she snuggled deeper into his embrace instead, making him thank the Lord in a quick Heaven sent appeal.

As they topped the rise and neared the house, neither one saw that they were being looked upon with shock and surprise. It was only as they reached the even ground that Darcy looked up from his wet burden to meet the horrified gaze of Mr. Charles Bingley and Miss Georgiana Darcy who had arrived a day earlier than expected in hopes of surprising him.

"Georgiana, Charles. This is a surprise. Tell me, Charles where are your delightful sisters?" Darcy managed a few words through his shock, surprised that he could even manage to form those few words. _Of all the times to arrive! Impeccable timing, Mr. Bingley as ever. _

"Caroline and Louisa are staying on with friends in Matlock, they won't be arriving for another few days. Georgiana wanted to surprise you, so we came on ahead." Charles stuttered out, horrified by the sight of the once impeccably dressed Mr. Darcy covered in pond scum and looking filthy.

"Surprised is an understatement." Darcy muttered and shifted a very cold and now shivering Elizabeth in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: To the guest reviewer that was a little scathing about the lack of propriety shown in the previous chapters when it came to characters using Christian names; may I point out that this is a 'fanfic' and that the whole story shows more lack of propriety in their bedroom antics than in the way they address each other! You say that some things shouldn't be messed around with if I want an accurate story – well nothing that happens in the rest of the story is in keeping with the original novel at all! Be prepared to be 'messed about' to a greater degree!

There was an awkward silence with Georgiana looking decidedly uncomfortable and unable to look any one directly in the eye. She shifted a little closer to Charles and he gently squeezed her arm in comfort.

"Umm, Darcy a little late in the day for a swim isn't it?" He tried to break the silence by blustering his way into trying to make a joke to ease the tension. It was only when Darcy glowered in response that Charles finally recognized the small figure shivering in Darcy's embrace. "My goodness…Miss Elizabeth! What on earth has happened?" Charles dropped Georgiana's arm and went to step forward in alarm; a slight growl from Darcy stopped him in his tracks.

"Charles, could we leave the explanation for a little later? Miss Bennet needs a bath to warm her up, as do I as you can clearly see. I promise I will explain it all in good time. Georgiana, would you please accompany myself and Miss Bennet's aunt up to your bedchamber? I asked that a bath be made ready in your suite as I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow…" Darcy looked over and noticed that Georgiana was near to tears. "I'm not scolding you, poppet. It's would have been a lovely surprise if not for this unfortunate event." Georgiana brightened up a little at this last remark and Darcy looked over at Lucy for assistance and she immediately went over to greet Georgiana.

"Miss Darcy, it's a pleasure to meet you at last! I would be grateful for your assistance with my niece. Perhaps you would be so kind as to lend Lizzie a change of clothing?" Lucy held out a hand and Georgiana accepted it with a shy curtsey in greeting.

"Of course, Mrs. …?"

"Mrs. Gardiner, but please call me Lucy. Mrs. Gardiner makes me feel so old…" Lucy threaded her arm through Georgiana's and gently led her inside the front doors and into the hallway. Darcy smiled faintly at the way Lucy had dealt with Georgiana's obvious discomfort at being in the middle of a group of strangers in her own home by making her feel like part of the solution. He could hear them chatting quietly as they ascended the staircase and then heard his sister's quiet voice floating down from above.

"Fitz, are you going to stand there dripping all over the hallway or are you going to bring Miss Bennet upstairs to recover? Lucy has told me the story of how the two of you ended up in the river and I quite blame you for Miss Bennet's discomfort."

"And quite rightly so…" muttered Elizabeth with a soggy shiver. Darcy shifted his hold slightly so that he could ensure that the jacket remained firmly in place as carried Elizabeth past Charlie holding open the front door. He nodded in thanks and started to carry his precious cargo up the staircase without any outward signs of any effort. Elizabeth shivered again as she felt a cold, slimy droplet of water make its way down the back of her neck. Darcy tightened his embrace in response. "You'll soon be warm and dry again in no time." He dropped a kiss on her forehead and she tucked her head into his neck for comfort. The fact that her brother was cradling a young woman in his arms like she was something infinitely precious and that Miss Bennet didn't seem to mind a bit had not escaped Georgiana's attention. Lucy had only told her that her niece and Darcy had been quarrelling down by the river and that he had accidentally pulled Elizabeth into the water when he had slipped down the bank. Georgiana knew that there was more to the story than that, her brother looked far too comfortable with Miss Bennet for someone that had been quarrelling only a few minutes ago… Darcy had been strangely quiet and sombre ever since he had returned from Kent and a visit to their Aunt's a few weeks ago. She had assumed that Lady Catherine had been once again trying to persuade her brother to make an offer for their cousin, Anne; but know it seemed that it might have been something else entirely… Darcy had mentioned Elizabeth Bennet only in passing and was always ready to change the subject whenever her name was mentioned in conversation. Charles had let snippets of information slip to Georgiana but only that he thought that his friend was far more interested in Miss Elizabeth than he was willing to admit to. From the looks of things, it was clear to Georgiana that Darcy had finally found the one person that he could let his guard down with. Apart from when he was alone with Georgiana, Mrs. Reynolds or Henry, Darcy presented a harder façade to the rest of the world. He wasn't even fully comfortable around Charles and they had been friends since their childhood.

Darcy reached the top of the staircase and smiled at his sister holding open the door to the family wing on the west elevation. They passed by his own bedchamber and rounded the corner to Georgiana's own suite of rooms. He set Elizabeth gently down on a chair just inside the room, not wanting to drip over the cream rugs more than absolutely necessary. "Have a bath and a change of clothes and then see how you feel. I've asked that the next room along be prepared for your stay so if you feel like resting please go ahead and do so." Darcy bent low and murmured gently in her ear causing a shiver to run down her spine which had more to do with the feeling of his warm breath against her cold, clammy skin than the damp chill surrounding her. Elizabeth simply smiled and raised a hand to gently stroke his cheek.

"You were in the water far longer than I, perhaps you feel that you ought to take a nap?" Darcy resisted the urge to groan aloud at the reaction her soft touch was producing throughout his body. He lower his voice slightly so that they were in no danger of being overheard.

"Only if you were going to join me… although I doubt there would be any napping involved!"

"Mr. Darcy! Whatever are you suggesting?" Elizabeth acted shocked but was by now used to this brand of teasing that Darcy seemed to reserve especially for her. His eyes darkened with desire at the way she practically breathed his name, and bent down even closer.

"You know exactly what I was suggesting, you little minx! I plan on paying you back for that little stunt down at the river, just you wait and see…"

"I look forward to it, Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth stroked his cheek again and watched his eyelashes, long and spiky with water flutter helplessly flutter in response.

"Yes…you will. Now go and have that bath!" Darcy leant forward and pressed a kiss against her forehead quickly and rose to his feet and bowed his head slightly. "Miss Bennet."

"Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth inclined her head slightly in haughty dismissal and then laughed as Darcy bowed lower and dripped water all over the freshly waxed hallway floor. "William, go and have a bath!"

Georgiana raised shocked eyes towards Lucy, she had never, ever heard her brother referred to in such intimate terms. Although she had never known their mother herself, Mrs. Reynolds had shared stories with her over the years and to hear that name used meant that Darcy was indeed very serious about Miss Bennet and Georgiana resolved to prise as much information out of Charles and the staff as possible. Lucy helped Elizabeth to struggle out of the clingy muslin dress and into a clean bathrobe, she saw that Elizabeth was trying to discretely remove Darcy's handkerchief from the concealed pocket and hid a small smile. Elizabeth gave a huff when she realized that she couldn't remove the handkerchief without completely turning the dress inside out and was relieved when Lucy stepped forwards and removed the dress from her grip.

"I'll just run this dress downstairs and ask that it be laundered for you, dear. I'm sure Miss Darcy would be glad to lend you something to return back to Lambton in." Lucy gave her niece a quick wink and nodded towards the hidden pocket to let her know that the contents would be returned back to her quite discretely. Georgiana had missed this exchange as she bustled over to where her trunks were lying open in the corner.

"I'm sure I have something suitable, we seem to be around the same height; although they may be a little looser on you that they are on me." Georgiana still retained the plumpness resulting nearly six months of comfort eating to heal her battered pride. She was slowly beginning to regain her youthful slim figure but still had a larger waistline than she had previously.

"I would be grateful for anything that you wouldn't mind lending to me. I'm sure that you are brimming to burst with questions, I will leave the door to the bathing room open so feel free to ask anything that you may wish to ask." Elizabeth stepped into the bathing room and slipped off the borrowed robe and sank into the still warm bath water, relishing the fragrance that rose up in the steam. Although she preferred the lighter essence of Jasmine, the heady fragrance of roses wasn't unpleasant at all.

"Miss Darcy? Are you still there?" Elizabeth called out, certain that Georgiana wouldn't be able to resist the urge to question her about her familiarity with Darcy. Sure enough a hesitant voice came softly through the slightly open doorway.

"Miss Bennet…? Might you…I mean…how did…?"

"Please call me Elizabeth. Shall I start off and then you can ask any questions as we go along?" Elizabeth leant back against the porcelain and sighed gently. "Now where should I start?" she dipped her head under the water to rinse her hair, it hadn't gotten too dirty just wet and nearly missed Georgiana's softly voiced response.

"Elizabeth, I believe you met my brother when he and Charles Bingley visited Netherfield in the spring?" Georgiana asked hesitantly, what was it about this woman that made her feel so relaxed?

"Yes, that is correct. We did not get along at all, your brother made some disparaging remarks at a country dance to which I took immediate offence."

"Fitz did that, really? Oh, how rude!" Georgiana peered around the door and found Elizabeth had finished her bath and was sitting on a footstool wrapped in several towels. "Oh, excuse me! I quite forgot to bring you a fresh robe!" Georgiana began to dart back into the bedchamber only to be halted by Elizabeth's refusal.

"It's quite alright, Miss Darcy, perhaps just some under things and a dress. I don't wish to put you out any further by dirtying yet another article of clothing."

"Shall I call for one of the ladies maids to assist you?" Georgiana hovered by the door again and Elizabeth waved the offer away.

"I've always preferred to dress myself, thank you. I may need some assistance with the buttons however as your dresses all appear to button down the back." Elizabeth chuckled softly and accepted the pile of clothes that Georgiana held out around the door.

"What happened next?" Georgiana asked hesitantly.

"Well, let's see. We met several times over the next few weeks and your brother did not improve on further acquaintance, I can assure you and it was with relief that we parted ways when W…Darcy returned back to Town quite suddenly." Elizabeth realized that she had almost slipped up again and referred to Darcy most familiarly, she had hoped that no one recalled her last comment ordering him to take a bath. Georgiana caught the pause and smiled faintly to herself, thinking that it was long time past Darcy to start thinking about his future instead of concentrating on hers.

"It was not until I was visiting with my friend, Charlotte Collins, that our paths crossed again in Kent only last month. I am afraid that I treated your brother most cruelly and accused him of horrible misdeeds without first getting the full version of the truth." Elizabeth finished pulling up the dress and had secured all of the buttons that she could. She stepped out into the bedchamber and presented her back to Georgiana. "Would you mind fastening these last few?" She was aware that Georgiana was silently processing the information given and remained quiet waiting for her reaction.

"How did he react? Did he suddenly start acting very stiff and formal?" Georgiana finally asked, she looked over at where Elizabeth was rubbing a towel over her long, wet hair. Elizabeth put the towel down and then simply nodded her head. Georgiana sighed quietly in response and gestured for Elizabeth to take a seat at the dressing table. Georgiana picked up a silver backed hairbrush and started to gently brush the other woman's hair.

"That is what he always does when faced with uncertainty and doubt. It is like he builds a wall up around him so that no one can see inside at what he is really feeling. It's something he has done ever since our father died, it seems to be his coping mechanism." Georgiana continued to brush Elizabeth's hair and almost didn't catch her response.

"Or he simply walks away when his feelings get too intense." Elizabeth had her eyes closed as Georgiana gathered her hair and tied it simply with a ribbon dyed pale blue to match the gown. She therefore missed Georgiana's blink of surprise, Darcy never walked away from anything without making some sort of cutting comeback. For him to simply walk away was unheard of.

"And then…" Georgiana slipped onto a footstool next to the dressing table and watched Elizabeth pick up and discard assorted ribbons and fripperies that were scattered over the top.

"And then…he wrote me a letter," Elizabeth smiled softly in recollection. Some parts of the letter when first read, were harsh indeed. The rest however had laid to rest any doubts she might have had about Darcy's true character.

"What did he say?" Georgiana leant forward, eager to hear what her brother would have written to the woman he almost certainly loved. Elizabeth set down the ribbons and turned to face the younger woman. She gently took one of Georgiana's hand in one of her own and held it whilst she looked directly into her eyes.

"The letter told me of the absolute love and devotion that he had to a most beloved sister, and that alone convinced me that I had been on the receiving end of a completely false set of assumptions about your brother."

"Oh…!" Georgiana knew then what the subject matter contained in the letter and who would have given such a falsehood onto Elizabeth. She closed her eyes in despair, feeling tears begin to threaten. She opened them when she felt Elizabeth tugging on her hands to persuade her to rise to her feet. Elizabeth brought Georgiana to stand straight in front of the mirror.

"Tell me, Miss Darcy, what do you see when you look in the mirror?" Georgiana blinked furiously to clear her vision and looked over at Elizabeth.

"I just see me…"

"Shall I tell you what I see? I see a young girl with her whole future ahead of her, yesterdays are history as are any mistakes made. Don't keep looking back, Georgiana." Elizabeth urged, "Keep your head up, shoulders back and look towards tomorrow. Use some of that arrogance that the Darcy's – and one in particular – are famous for. I know that you sometimes feel overwhelmed but use that arrogance to your advantage, conceal silent shyness with haughty distain simply by keeping your head held high. You have absolutely nothing to feel ashamed of, you have done nothing wrong and you shouldn't ever let people tell you that you have." Elizabeth knew that these few words would not be enough to bring an immediate change to Georgiana's character but hopefully over the next few weeks and with the help of both Jane and Lucy they would begin to see the beautiful butterfly emerge from its chrysalis.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. You cannot begin to know what that means to me, I know that Fitz has tried his best to reassure me but I have always felt like I have somehow let him and the rest of the family down." Georgiana reached over to hug Elizabeth quickly and then stepped back in embarrassment at her familiarity with a woman she had only just met.

"Georgiana, you have not let anyone down, remember that if anyone tries to tell you otherwise. I can think of at least two people who probably put that notion into your head and if I am not mistaken their names start with a 'C' and an 'L', am I correct?" At Georgiana's nod, Elizabeth gave a most unladylike snort of derision. "I thought so, well shall we go down and face the lion's in the den?" Elizabeth held out her arm and Georgiana linked her arm through it. They went giggling through the door and strode down the hallway. A quick peek through Darcy's open doorway revealed that the room was vacant, and so they skipped along to hallway until they reached the doorway leading to the main part of the upper floor. Elizabeth forced a more solemn expression to her face and nudged Georgiana with her elbow as they paused at the top of the grand staircase.

"Remember arrogance and haughty distain…"

"But Elizabeth, Caroline and Louisa are staying overnight with friends in Matlock and won't return until tomorrow..." Georgiana protested, Elizabeth swung around to face her.

"Why on earth didn't you say so sooner? We could have gone downstairs ages ago, I was just taking my time in the bath because I didn't want to spend too much time with them! Come along, Georgiana don't dawdle, there might be chocolate downstairs!" Elizabeth linked arms with Georgiana again and they started racing down the stairs. Elizabeth almost tripped over when Georgiana halted on the bend just before they would come into full view.

"What now? More questions, haven't you heard enough yet?" Elizabeth teased Georgiana, not wanting to make the younger girl retreat back into her shell. Georgiana just stood still with her arms crossed over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Well? What happened after you read the letter?"

"Nothing, we didn't speak again after that. Your brother performed his usual vanishing act and didn't even wait for a response. Today was our first meeting since Rosings." Elizabeth started to descend the staircase only to find that a stubborn Georgiana had a tight grip on her arm to prevent her from leaving. "Georgiaaaanaaa….I can practically smell the chocolate, and I have had a traumatic experience today and need bolstering up." Elizabeth placed a hand over her eyes and faked a swoon, she cracked one eye open and sighed when she saw the determined expression, so like her brother's, and sighed and plopped down to sit on the top step. "Oh, alright then. The reason he was so mad at me in the first place is that he had proposed marriage and didn't like my less than ladylike refusal. The letter had explained why he had acted in such a manner and I was almost ready to change my mind when I realized that he had just packed his things and left Rosings that very same afternoon." Elizabeth propped her chin in her hand and turned her head to see Georgiana sit suddenly down on the seat next to her.

"But you're here now… I don't really understand." Georgiana was in shock, even more so when Elizabeth let out a chuckle and nodded her head towards the front parlour.

"Neither do I really, I'm supposed to be in the Lake District with my aunt and uncle. It was just pure coincidence that business commitments meant that we had to change our plans. My aunt was raised in Lambton and wanted to see Pemberley again, Darcy wasn't supposed to be here and we were just intending to have a quick tour of the house and then leave. We were to journey onto to Matlock tomorrow but it seemed that your brother had another plan in store and somehow we all found ourselves agreeing to it…"

"What plan?" Georgiana was trying to keep up but was still processing the fact that her brother, Fitzwilliam Darcy, had finally proposed to a woman and been refused, and by all accounts quite bluntly. "Well it seems that your brother wishes to resurrect the Lady Anne Summer Fayre and has asked my aunt and me to help you prepare for it. It looks like you will be stuck with me for the rest of the summer…" Elizabeth stood up from the stair and held out a hand to help Georgiana to her feet. A small smile appeared on the younger girl's face and she held tight onto Elizabeth's hand. "I take it you are in agreement, then?" Georgiana nodded and threaded her arm through Elizabeth's crooked elbow. She leant it closer to whisper conspiratorially.

"At least I will have someone else who doesn't think that the sun rises and sets with Caroline Bingley!" Elizabeth let out a peal of laughter and they started skipping down the staircase in delight. The sound of her laughter brought Darcy and Charles out of the parlour and they looked on in amazement at the sight of Elizabeth and Georgiana racing down the stairs. When they reached the foot Elizabeth kissed Georgiana's cheek and was heard to remark –

"I knew that there was a reason I was going to like you, Georgie!" She unlinked their arms and strolled towards the others, smirking a little at their bewilderment. "Mr. Bingley, how lovely to see you again, pray tell me where are your delightful sisters hiding?" Elizabeth dipped into a curtsey and heard Georgiana spluttering behind her which she quickly disguised with a cough. Darcy hid a smile of his own and he reached out a hand to assist his sister down the last step. Really the change in her was simply astounding, if Elizabeth had managed to get Georgiana to act like a giddy schoolgirl after just an hour, imagine what she could do in a month? Georgiana tucked her hand into her brother's elbow and motioned for him to bend down so that she could whisper in his ear.

"I like this one, make sure that we keep her." Darcy swept Georgiana up into his arms and whirled her around in delight. At her excited giggles, Charles and Elizabeth looked over from where they had been quietly conversing about her family and she noticed the bemused expression on Charles's face. It was obvious that he felt a great deal of affection for this family, it was just unfortunate that his sister's always accompanied him. Elizabeth remembered what Darcy had said about never wanted to further his relationship with Caroline and hopefully once Georgiana continued to develop into an adult they would no longer need to join Charles on his visits. Darcy had set Georgiana down on her feet and she continued to beam happily up at him, he patted the delicate hand on his arm and gestured down the hall with the other one. "Shall we join Edward and Lucy in the parlour, I've arranged for tea to be served." Georgiana's brightness dimmed a little and she stole a peek over in Elizabeth's direction. Elizabeth smiled gently in encouragement and mimed raising her shoulders back. Georgiana took a deep breath and entered the room on her brother's arm. She immediately felt at ease when she saw that Lucy had arranged herself behind the large silver tea tray and was acting as hostess. Lucy saw then enter and called over cheerfully.

"I hope you don't mind, Miss Darcy, but we started without you. My Edward was acting like we hadn't fed him all day and was beginning to quite irritate me. Please come and sit beside me and you can advise me of Darcy and Mr. Bingley's preferences." Lucy patted the seat beside her on the overstuffed couch and Georgiana happily complied. Lucy seemed to be a younger version of Mrs. Reynolds and Georgiana immediately began to feel at ease in the almost familial atmosphere.

"Uncle Edward, is that a cream scone I see on your plate? I hope you have saved some for me, I am quite partial to those, is there any plum jam?" Elizabeth started towards the tea tray to investigate and was a little disappointed when it was revealed that there was only strawberry. Charles was amused to find a little parlour maid scribbling in a note book and from what Darcy had filled him in on, there was certain to be a shilling on the way into her pocket and plum jam on the menu the next day. He stifled a chuckle when he saw that a footman was trying to edge a small box of truffles into Elizabeth's line of sight, he knew she had finally noticed when she reached out a hand to take one and then change her mind again.

"Tea, Elizabeth or chocolate?" Lucy held up a cup in question and everyone held their breath to see what she would decide. Elizabeth screwed her eyes tightly shut and seemed to be muttering something under her breath, Charles was almost certain it was something about how a certain someone made things impossible to resist.

"Tea, please Aunt Lucy." Elizabeth finally succeeded in quieting the little demon in her ear trying to get her to break her vow only to succumb in the mornings, if she failed now it would only make things that much harder in the long run.

"Are you quite sure, Elizabeth? After all you have had a 'traumatic experience'…" Georgiana laid her hand to her forehead in a parody of Elizabeth's earlier attempt to avoid answering any further questions.

"What have I done? Was she this much trouble when she was younger, William?" Elizabeth sighed in dismay and raised her eyebrows, it was like opening Pandora's Box only it seemed that Georgiana's true nature was going to be a little mischievous imp rather than a plague of demons. Charles waited with baited breath for Darcy to stiffen in that haughty manner of his whenever someone from outside his inner circle dared to treat him with any sort of familiarity but was astonished when Darcy simply shrugged and handed Elizabeth a cup of steaming chocolate and patted her shoulder consolingly

"I'm afraid, Elizabeth that there appears to be no treatment for naughty imps. What is done is done and we will just have to live with the consequences." Darcy tried to keep a straight face when delivering his solemn verdict but a guffaw from Edward in the armchair had his stern mouth melting into a smile of amusement.

"Yes, Darcy you've gone and done it now. You should have kept Lizzie far away from Miss Georgiana, she is obviously a bad influence." Edward gestured with his cup of tea and in the process nearly upended the plate of scones that he had been working his way through. Darcy leant forward and snagged one of the plate and delivered it to Elizabeth.

"Your scone, my lady." She fluttered her eyelashes in response and accepted the offering.

"Well thank you kind sir. But I fear it is sadly lacking in decoration and is not worthy of my palate."

"What does my lady require? Alas we haven't any plum jam but there is ample cream and strawberry conserve." Charles could hardly believe what was happening before him, it was like he had stepped through the looking glass and had entered Wonderland. Could that really be Darcy acting like a foolish knave wishing to please the fair lady? It seemed that Elizabeth had succeeded in making Darcy able to be teased and accept teasing in return. A slight tap on his arm had him snapping out of his musings and he turned to find Georgiana at his elbow with a cup of tea.

"Here Charles, you look as though you could do with a reviving cup of tea. I placed an extra lump of sugar in it, I've heard that it is good for shock." Georgiana held out the cup and smiled quietly at his astonishment. "Yes, I have been known to have a sense of humour, but it's only been today that I've felt able to enjoy it. Look at them, it's hard to believe that they only met today?" Georgiana nodded over to where Darcy was sitting next to Lucy on the couch and laughing at something that Edward had said. "He looks totally comfortable with them doesn't he? I think that we have a lot to thank Elizabeth for, don't we?" Elizabeth had left her stool and had gone back over to the sideboard to retrieve the box of truffles. She had curled up at her uncle's feet and he was resting a hand quite naturally on her hair, gently stroking it back from her forehead trying to disguise the fact that he was really checking whether she had caught a fever. Elizabeth was used to his ways and simply knelt up and kissed his cheek to assure him that she had no after effects from her unexpected swim. The foursome laughed quietly and Darcy looked up to notice Georgiana watching them, he held out a hand to ask her to join them and smiled gently in understanding when she gave a slight shake of her head in refusal.

Elizabeth was toying with the ribbon that had secured the truffle box together and fell silent for a while lost in her own thoughts. She came back to the present with a start when she realized that someone had snatched the truffle box out of her hands and was rummaging through the contents.

"Mr. Darcy! Those are MY truffles, I found them and I've had…"

"A traumatic experience…" everyone in the room chimed in, including Charles who was beginning to enjoy this new side of the Darcy household immensely.

"Well…really!" Exclaimed Elizabeth crossly and folded her arms against her chest in annoyance. Darcy cleared his throat quietly and captured her gaze. She dropped her arms when she realized that once again, she had assumed one of the positions that Darcy had revealed stirred his passions.

"Let me see there are six delicious chocolate truffles inside this box and there are…" Darcy did a quick headcount in the room, "…eight of us in the room. I propose that we all state why we feel that we should deserve to receive one of cook's most secret delicacies." Darcy shook the box enticingly and looked over to where Timothy the footman and Nancy the young parlour maid were standing either side of the door. "Timothy, Nancy come and take a seat near the table, you both had a hand in today's little adventure and I fully expect you both to come up with something worthwhile." The two young servants beamed with delight at being included in this unheard of treat and they only had the young Miss Bennet to thank for it. They came a little closer and took a hard backed seat at the edge of the table, just on the outskirts of the group. "Now, Elizabeth we've heard what you've had to say, so you just sit there nice and quietly and let the others have a turn. Edward – what say you?"

"Ahh, Darcy, 'tis a sad tale indeed." Edward fetched a handkerchief from his pocket and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "I was promised an afternoon of manly pursuits, all the fish I could catch and an open ended invitation to return. Instead, I had found a shrieking harpy had gone and frightened the fish away, so much so I fear never to be able to return again…Oh, and my best visiting jacket is now ruined." Edward his face behind his handkerchief and muffled a sob, he suddenly sat upright and placed the crumpled napkin back in his lap. "So, what do you think? Almost worthy of a performance at the Globe Theatre?"

"Bravo, Mr. Gardiner!" Charles clapped his hands together and turned to Darcy. "What about you, Darcy? Why do you think that you deserve a truffle?" Darcy laced his hands together in reflection.

"Hmmm, let me think. Well, I had planned to arrive early to discuss some business with my steward but found myself dealing with a cunning thief, determined to make their fortune in ransacking the Darcy family home and stealing their precious family portraits. They had disguised themselves as simple country folk wanting to tour a stately home but as soon as I saw that they had sent in a young miss to try and seduce me out of my portraits, I saw right through their plan. I pretended to go along with the pretence but as soon as I saw that the gentleman accompanying them had a great many concealed pockets on his jackets – I knew they were after only one thing…" Darcy could see that Timothy and Nancy were getting caught up in the game and leaning in close, no doubt to try and come up with some elaborate falsehood; but it really didn't matter, as Darcy had already decided to reward them both with a truffle for their willingness to be a part of the scheme to integrate Elizabeth into his household.

"Come on, lad. Don't leave us in suspense. What were the thieves after?" Edward leant forward and prodded Darcy with his teaspoon. Darcy retaliated by stealing back the plate of scones that Edward was trying to conceal on his lap. Darcy took his time adding cream to one of the scones before leaning forward again to reveal the mystery.

"The infamous Darcy golden carp…"

"Oohh, the Darcy golden carp, nice try Darcy but I think I can do better." Charles leant forward and took over the reins. "The Darcy golden carp wasn't in the lake though was it Mr. Gardiner? You thought that you had planned it all so carefully but you hadn't allowed for the fact that the intrepid archaeologist Bingley Charles and his mysterious young travelling companion were hot on your trail. You see Mademoiselle Georgette D'Arcy was in fact the true owner of the golden carp which was in fact a rare yellow topaz which had been claimed by the wicked Fitzroy Darcy who had claimed the jewel belonged to his family and not to the D'Arcy's. I recognized your face straight away from the description posted in The Times and hid myself from view whilst I watched the two most notorious cutpurses in London try to pull the wool over the counties most famous recluses. It was Mademoiselle D'Arcy who first noticed the third thief trying to pull up something hidden in the lake…" Charles looked over at Georgiana to take over.

"It was 'Orrible…zee Mademoiselle was covered in le poisson et 'ow you say? Slime?" Everyone laughed at Georgiana's horrible French accent, so she continued in her normal voice. "I knew instantly that Fitzroy Darcy had pushed her into the lake in an attempt to make her reveal her true identity…" Georgiana stopped when Edward pointed out with a hearty laugh that it had been the other way around that afternoon. She looked over at Elizabeth who simply shrugged ruefully. Georgiana lost her train of thought for a moment and then picked up the story once again. "Mr. Charles stepped in and revealed that the Golden Carp was in fact a complete phony and in fact everyone had a completely false reason for being at the lake that day….but I can't think of what they could be right now so…The End." Georgiana finished in a rush and hid her flushed face in her hands. Darcy clapped loudly and said that it had been a most enterprising effort – but it was clear that they had been nowhere near the vicinity that afternoon as the incident had happened in the river and not the lake and it was quite obvious that he would never push a lady into a river.

"I'm sorry, Sir but I think that the tale of woe that I am about to relate surely will tug at your heart and bring a tear to your eye." The laughter from Darcy's statement slowly died down when Timothy rose to his feet and knelt before Nancy, "You see before you a broken hearted young girl…" Nancy covered her face with her apron and began to rock in the chair. "Today was supposed to be a glorious day, our wedding day and Nancy had been my sweetheart ever since we were children together. I myself am a young soldier who tomorrow must face battle, I had raced back to my sweetheart when I heard that I must leave and begged her to marry me before I would be carried over the seas…The arrangements were all in place and Mrs. Reynolds had agreed to cover Nancy's departure from the wicked and cruel butler Mr. Henry. What we didn't know was that a young lady had arrived and sent the house in uproar, Mr. Henry disliked any deviation from routine and was in a foul mood. Nancy had spoken out this morning, and Mr. Henry had locked her in the cellar as punishment with no way out. I tried to rescue her from his evil clutches and Mr. Henry killed me in a fit of rage…" Timothy let his voice grow softer and softer towards the end of his tale and when he had finished, he moved back into the shadows behind Nancy's chair as if he were an actual spirit fading out of sight. Georgiana sighed at the sad tale and Edward leant over to pat her shoulder.

"There, there petal. Don't you worry, it's just a story…"

"Ah but in every story there must be some element of truth, Sir." Nancy took over the telling and dropped her voice mysteriously low. "There is an old Derbyshire legend hereabouts, about a young bride who drowned herself in the river when she learnt that her sweetheart had been lost in battle. It's told that if a bride to be sees the lady rise from the lake in the week of the wedding, she will either be a widow or never marry. Well I saw that lady rise up from the lake this very afternoon, and sure enough my Timothy was snatched from me by the evil Mr. Henry." Nancy finished off the tale and sat back in her chair to stunned silence. Suddenly the whole room applauded and Elizabeth rose to her feet.

"Well, I'm clearly not getting a truffle am I? I was the only one who told the truth and it was completely boring. You should all take to the stage because it is quite clear you all have very vivid imaginations. Will, who gets the truffles then?"

"Wait, Mrs. Gardiner hasn't had a turn yet!" Georgiana protested, Lucy smiled and held up a hand.

"Not for me thank you, I have never much acquired the taste for chocolate myself and wouldn't want to take something that I wouldn't enjoy. And please, Georgiana I thought that we had agreed that you would call me Lucy? Or if that makes you uncomfortable you could always call me Aunt Lucy as Lizzie and Jane do."

"Very well, Aunt Lucy it shall be then." Georgiana nodded at this suggestion, it would make her feel a little more at ease to refer to the older woman with some modicum of propriety.

"Well I think that everyone deserves a chocolate, apart from Elizabeth. You were quite right, my dear, you had a very boring story and showed a total lack of imagination!" Darcy laughed as he handed out the truffles to Edward, Georgiana, Charles, Timothy and Nancy before picking out the last one for himself. He was about to pop it into his mouth when he was struck with a sudden thought.

"Elizabeth, if you married me I would let you have the last truffle." Elizabeth looked longingly at the truffle and then at Darcy, narrowing her eyes until they resembled slits. She rose to her feet and leant in close to him and then suddenly darted away.

"Sorry, Darcy but I have just remembered that I don't like chocolate as much as I used to…" She laughed at his stunned expression before heading towards the door. "I believe that I will take a stroll in the gardens for an hour before dinner, Georgiana would you care to join me? Aunt Lucy?"

"A bit presumptuous aren't you Lizzie? We haven't been invited to stay." Edward called out to his niece as she accepted a light wrap from a footman stationed just outside the door.

"Such a short memory, Uncle Edward? Why not ten minutes ago you were telling us all that you had received an open ended invitation from Darcy!" Elizabeth tossed the remark over her shoulder as she headed out of the door, she hesitated to see whether anyone else would join her but it appeared that they were all quite comfortable where they were. The same footman rushed to open the garden door for her and she thanked him for his attention and stepped out into the early evening air.

"Are you quite sure that you want to put up with that for the rest of your life?" Edward joked to Darcy, who had risen to watch Elizabeth out of the side window, and she had stopped to smell the roses and as she rose up noticed him watching her from the parlour. She gave him a small wave and received a smile in response. Darcy turned back to face his guests and realized that Edward was still waiting for a response.

"Oh, yes Edward. I've never been more certain of anything in my life. Is everything set with you and Lucy, have you informed Jane and the rest of the Bennet's of our plans?"

"Jane? Darcy…what?" Charles looked up in shock, Darcy had failed to mention that Jane had anything to do with his plan to keep Elizabeth at Pemberley, or had he? Charles went back over their conversation in the study earlier but couldn't recall most of their actual conversation as his delight in seeing his friend so changed meant that he didn't really pay attention to any else that was said.

"Do you not recall that Lucy, Edward and I are travelling back to Hampshire this Thursday where they will collect their children?" Darcy reiterated patiently, they had gone over all of this in the study but it was clear now that Charles hadn't really been paying attention.

"Yes I remember that bit, and that yourself and Mrs. Gardiner will return back to Derbyshire, so that they can help Georgiana prepare for the Lady Anne Summer Fayre. But what has Jane got to do with any of this?"

"Jane will be returning back with us, Elizabeth feels that she would be of great help in setting Georgiana at ease. That will leave Elizabeth free to explore Pemberley and get to know the staff and workers, the ideas is that we make her feel like she belongs here and then she might be willing to finally accept me as her husband."

"Why how many times have you asked?" Charles was genuinely surprised, he hadn't realized that Darcy had even broached the subject properly.

"Including the truffle offer, two and a half."

"How can you half ask someone to marry you?" Georgiana giggled a little at his last response.

"When that certain someone knows exactly what you were going to say and then stops you in your tracks. I counted that as a half. Anyway Jane has a gentle temperament and…"

"Yes, she has needed that living with my sister all of these years." Edward interjected, making everyone laugh again. "Anyway, Darcy about dinner…we're really not dressed for it…I mean I don't even have a jacket on and would feel quite underdressed…" Edward let his voice trail off in disappointment. Darcy caught Charles' eye and received a nod in return.

"Nonsense, Edward. It will be just a quiet family dinner, with just us and Charles. If it will make you feel better Charles and I would be delighted to remove our jackets in a show of solidarity, isn't that right Charles?"

"As a matter of fact, I was just thinking that very same thing. It is rather warm in here and was just wondering whether we should take a stroll down to the river to see if we can catch a glimpse of the elusive Golden Carp?" Charles stood up and undid the buttons of his tightly fitted fawn coat. He struggled a little with the sleeves but finally managed to wrestle it off and threw it down onto the chair.

"There, that feels much better. Darcy?" Charles looked over to where Darcy had already removed his looser fitting coat and laid it carefully across the back of the couch. Edward sighed and rose to his feet.

"Lads, you could have just offered to lend me a coat you know? It would have been so much easier, now the pair of you are obviously uncomfortable so I suggest you put them back on."

"I don't know what you mean, Edward I am feeling altogether quiet at ease. Do I look uncomfortable to you?" Darcy looked over at the older gentleman and started for the door. It was in fact the truth, Darcy did feel remarkably at ease without a coat, Charles was feeling a little underdressed and he looked longingly at his coat on the chair. He caught Georgiana's warning look and realized that he was to remain coatless for the rest of the evening. Why hadn't they just taken Edward's advice and offered him one of their own to wear? He shook his head at his own ignorance and followed the other men out into the hallway where a footman was standing ready to open the door. The footman gave no outward signs of surprise at seeing three underdressed gentlemen appear before him, which gave Charles reason to believe that the Darcy staff were trained to expect anything or that it was a common sight for the Master of the house to stride around his estate in nothing but shirtsleeves and waistcoat. Knowing Darcy, it was probably a little of both.


	5. Chapter 5

"Aunt Lucy, now that the gentlemen have all wandered off, perhaps you would like to take this opportunity to rest a little before dinner?" Georgiana rose gracefully to her feet and entered into quiet conference Nancy who advised her which room had been prepared for Lucy to stay in. Georgiana was a little surprised, but took care not to show any change of expression, when Nancy also volunteered the information that Darcy had issued instructions that Elizabeth was to be placed in a room within the family wing during her stay. It pleased Georgiana greatly that Darcy already considered Elizabeth to be part of the family and smiled at the thought of Caroline's nose being placed firmly out of joint when she discovered the Elizabeth's presence at Pemberley.

"What has caused you to smile like that, Miss Georgiana? You look almost wicked!" Lucy asked as they started to ascend the staircase. Georgiana took Lucy's arm and leant in a little closer to be sure of not being overheard.

"I was just thinking of how I will enjoy the look on Caroline Bingley's face when she realizes that Elizabeth is firmly back in favour to becoming the next Mrs. Darcy…"

"I've not had the pleasure of meeting Miss Bingley. What kind of a woman is she?" Lucy questioned.

"The kind of a woman who simply cannot fathom why Fitz has not fallen at her feet in worship!"

"Oh, I see…" Lucy fell silent for a moment and then continued on thoughtfully, "Is she likely to cause trouble, do you think?"

"Oh no doubt she will try. However, I've heard from Charles that Elizabeth is certainly not afraid of speaking her mind and so Caroline will probably regret even trying to make any mischief. I am glad that you will be here to help me though. I'm afraid that when it comes to facing up to Caroline, I am like a child frightened to say 'boo' to a goose. You will see what I mean when you come to meet her, there is just something about her that immediately puts me on defence." Georgiana shivered a little at the thought of being left without Lucy and Darcy to provide support when they travelled back to Hampshire in just a few days.

They reached the top of the staircase and slowed as the hallway divided into two.

"On the left is the family wing where mine and Darcy's suites are located and here on the right are the guest quarters."

"And where might my niece's room be located?" asked Lucy with a smile, already quite certain in her mind as to where Darcy would have requested her presence.

"Darcy has asked that Elizabeth be placed in the family wing, the room next to mine."

"And Darcy's room?" Lucy asked.

"A little further down the corridor, I did check with Nancy that Fitz hadn't overstepped the bounds of propriety quite completely. I had visions of him firmly entrenching her in our Mother's suite, lovely as though it is…"

"…Connects to the Master suite, perhaps?"

"Quite so, Aunt Lucy." Georgiana giggled a little and then sobered up. "I wouldn't put it past Caroline to relish the thought of spreading such salacious rumours, so I am pleased that Fitz had enough of his wits about him to prevent that from happening. At least for appearances sake, anyway!" Georgiana led Lucy into the room that had been swiftly prepared and then leant back against the doorframe and sighed heavily. Lucy looked up from where she had been checking her appearance in the mirror hanging above the dresser. She crossed over to perch on the edge of the lovely four poster and patted the bed next to her in invitation.

"Come, Miss Georgiana. Sit beside me and tell me what is bothering you. Are you having doubts about the Summer Fayre?" Georgiana sighed again and crossed to sit on the bed, shoulders slumping slightly.

"Not just the Fayre, Aunt Lucy. I'm worried that as soon as you go back to Lambton I will slip back into myself again. The evenings, I find are always the hardest. No matter how much I try to prevent it, Caroline always seems to enjoy playing 'lady of the manor' just a little too much at dinner. Ordering the servants about and demanding everyone's attention…" Georgiana gave a little sob and collapsed onto Lucy's shoulder. She was terrified at the thought of Caroline's return in the morning, knowing that as soon as the Gardiner's and Elizabeth returned back to the Inn, that Caroline wouldn't hesitate in turning her full spite against Georgiana in retaliation. Lucy sighed heavily and patted the younger girls head in comfort, stroking her hair gently to try and calm her. She looked up at the sound of soft footsteps and noticed that Elizabeth had returned from her walk and was watching them from the doorway. Georgiana had not noticed her return and was lost in distress. Lucy and Elizabeth exchanged a silent look, each realizing that Georgiana would require a constant supply of reassurance in order to get past her crippling shyness. It was true that she had made great strides that afternoon, but it was clear now how much of an effort it had taken for the young girl to join in. Elizabeth took a seat on the floor and reached to take a hold of the pale, slim hand that was twisting a delicate handkerchief into knots in her lap.

"Georgie?" she called softly, "Georgie, I'm afraid that I've gotten myself terribly confused and I need you to help me out. Nancy gave me directions to find my room, but I think there must have been some mistake as I found myself in the family wing just outside of Darcy's room. Perhaps you could help me out?" Elizabeth coaxed gently, hoping that Georgiana would feel better about feeling needed.

"How did you know it was Fitz's room?" Georgiana questioned, surely he wouldn't have compromised Elizabeth already? Elizabeth cursed inwardly at the slip, trying to think of a reason as to why she would clearly recognize Darcy's bedchamber if this was the first time she had been above stairs.

"Umm…I…" No, nothing was coming to her, so she decided to press on. "Never mind, it's not important. Anyway, I was wondering whether you could point me in the right direction so that I may freshen up before dinner."

"My brother has decided that you are to stay in the family wing. It's clear to me that he already considers you to be part of Pemberley, all you have to do is say 'yes'." Georgiana wiped her eyes and looked down at an astonished Elizabeth; who was clearly shocked at the blatant statement. "My brother has become an altogether far more likeable person ever since he has made your acquaintance, and I have to say, I heartily agree with the change that has come over him. Why he would never have entertained such a notion before you arrived and know he has ordered that the staff should cater to your every whim…" Georgiana impishly informed Elizabeth who merely sat with her jaw dropped open in astonishment. This was the prideful and standoffish Mr. Darcy? It didn't even seem possible…

"Close your mouth, dear. It's most unbecoming to gape like a fish." Lucy tapped Elizabeth's chin softly to close it and she shut her jaws with a snap. "Tell me, Elizabeth. What is your opinion of Miss Bingley?" Lucy asked of her niece.

"Well, I was often told as a child that if I had nothing pleasant to say, I was better off remaining silent. So in this instance, I think I will remember that childhood teaching." Elizabeth grinned up at her aunt and pantomimed a zipper over her mouth. Georgiana finally broke into a tremulous smile and squeezed her new friend's hand.

"So, if I were to ask your opinion of letting Miss Georgiana face this terrible young woman's spite over being cast aside by Mr. Darcy on a nightly basis, you would…?"

Elizabeth sputtered a little at the assumption that Darcy had even spared a thought as having entertained the idea at Caroline becoming Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and then caught the sideways glance that Lucy gave Georgiana, who was again twisting her handkerchief in distress.

"Oh, Aunt Lucy…I was going to ask whether you and Uncle Edward would mind terribly if we cut our stay short in Lambton. I found the most marvellous walks this afternoon and would dearly love to share them with you and Uncle Edward before you return home. If we are to be spending all of our time with Georgiana in the daytime that would only leave a short time in the evenings that we could explore…" Elizabeth sent a sly wink in Lucy's direction hoping that Georgiana would take the bait.

"Elizabeth, Aunt Lucy! I've just had the most marvellous idea! Why don't you cancel the rest of your stay at the Inn and come and spent what remaining time you have here?" Georgiana was nearly bouncing off the edge of the bed in excitement, all thoughts of her earlier distress wiped from her mind.

"Oh, no…it would be such an imposition. After all, the children and I will be returning anyway next week and I wouldn't want to be a bother…" Lucy made a token protest for appearances sake but was already plotting on how to inform her husband of the change in their plans.

"Excellent, shall I have a footman send over to the Inn for your things?" Georgiana sprang from the bed ready to send someone over to Lambton that very instant.

"Patience, my dear. Of course, I would need to seek agreement from Edward and he may take a little persuading. Let me discuss it with him once we return to the Inn tonight, if he is in agreement; I see no reason why we should not be able to move our things over tomorrow morning." Lucy suggested as alternative. Georgiana nodded her agreement but still looked a little disappointed. Elizabeth rose to her feet and faked a yawn.

"Aunt Lucy, would you mind terribly if I didn't return to the Inn with you this evening? I fear that all of the excitement this afternoon has left me a little weary that is if Georgie will agree to lend me a few items such as a nightdress and such?" Elizabeth had barely finished posing the question before Georgiana bounced off the bed to envelop her in an enthusiastic hug.

"Oh, Elizabeth, would you really stay tonight? I can't begin to tell you how much that would help to ease my distress!"

"Georgie! Aunt Lucy will need to agree to pack my belongings for me first, and we really ought to seek agreement from your brother first." Elizabeth said with a laugh and found Georgiana tugging on her arm. "What is it, now?"

"Come on! I need to show you your bedchamber and then you can take a look over my wardrobe and decide what you would like to borrow." As Georgiana continued to tug Elizabeth out of the door, Lucy gave them a little wave of dismissal and sank back onto the bed. _I really must write to Jane and ask her to warn her father that he is in great danger of having to fund a lavish society wedding…_ Those were the last thoughts that passed through her mind as she drifted off to sleep, smiling a little as the sound of Georgiana's excited chatter still echoed through the hallways.

"I have a lovely yellow eyelet gown that would suit you perfectly, it has a matching peignoir and…" Georgiana had listed practically every nightgown she possessed as she led Elizabeth over to the family wing and towards their rooms.

"Georgiana, don't you think that you ought to ask Darcy first?" Elizabeth protested as the thought occurred to her that Darcy might not welcome this sudden intrusion into his family home quite without warning.

"Pish posh! This is as much my home as it is Fitz's and anyway I am certain that he would say yes…" Georgiana waved Elizabeth's protestations away as if they were of no concern at all.

"And what is it exactly, that I should say yes to?" Darcy suddenly appeared at the door to the wing, having returned from his walk and leaving Charles to see Edward to Lucy's room to refresh before dinner. "More ribbons and fripperies, or perhaps the latest pianoforte?" He leant against the doorframe and wrapped one of Georgiana's golden curls around his index finger.

"Nothing as insignificant as that, brother dearest." Georgiana removed the finger from her hair and captured his hand in both of her own. "I was merely reassuring Elizabeth that you would be delighted that I have extended an invitation for the Gardiner's to give up their rooms at the Inn and spend the rest of the week here, as our guests." She looked up into her brother's eyes and was gratified to see pleasure warming his gaze. "Lizzie was feeling a little tired this evening and so I have persuaded her to start her stay this very evening, we were just discussing what nightgown she should borrow as you walked in…" Darcy straightened up in the doorway at this news and Elizabeth felt strangely flustered at the light that suddenly burned in his eyes, making them shine bright with passion. Unconsciously he went to take a step towards Elizabeth when a slight cough from his sister, made him realize that they were in fact, not alone.

"Well, I guess that answers that particular question. Lizzie, are you perfectly satisfied now that Darcy is all in favour my suggestion?" Georgiana looked over to her friend, noticing that her eyes were still firmly affixed upon her brother. She gave herself an inward nod of approval for her brilliance and then sighed a little when the other two people in the room gave no outward signs of breaking eye contact. "Oh dear!" she muttered in false distress. "I must have spilled a little tea on my skirt and must arrange for it to be placed into soak to prevent it staining." Georgiana placed a hand over the so called stain to prevent anyone from looking too closely. "Fitz, would you mind showing Elizabeth to her room whilst I change? Elizabeth, I will freshen up and then bring you through a selection of toiletries and a nightgown shortly." Georgiana not so subtly urged them out of the bedchamber and nodded her head slightly in Elizabeth's direction when she caught her brother's eye. Darcy smiled gratefully, aware that Georgiana was offering them a small moment of privacy. "I shall not be long, Elizabeth and then we can walk down to the dining room together." Darcy held up a hand in farewell acknowledging the warning that as soon as Georgiana had finished changing she would be at Elizabeth's door. This would give him enough time to press a kiss or maybe two, but nothing more.

Darcy led Elizabeth down the corridor a short way and then halted just outside the door to the room that he had requested for her. He looked down at Elizabeth who would not raise her gaze to meet his eyes.

"What concerns you, Lizzie?" Darcy asked gently. Elizabeth raised her eyes, feeling a warmth pool deep within her belly upon hearing her pet name fall so naturally from his lips. She gasped softly when a long tanned finger gently caressed the small from worrying her brow. "Tell me, so that I can make it better." Darcy traced a path with his finger, lightly grazing her cheek and trailing down the side of her neck. Elizabeth's neck fell to the side, allowing that lone finger easy access to her pulse point. She had quite forgotten the question until Darcy repeated it in a soft lazy drawl.

"I was just a little concerned that you would feel pressured into falling into Georgiana's demands and I didn't want to be the cause of any discontent between the two of you." Elizabeth finally replied and felt instantly bereft when Darcy stopped his heated caress. He chuckled low as her head started to leaning further in hopes that his finger would keep that soft trace. It made him stir excitedly in his breeches and he pressed one hand against the doorframe and leant in a little, but not as close as his body was urging to do. Even through the layers of restrictive clothing they both wore, each could feel the feverish heat rising between them. If he dared to step any closer, Elizabeth would surely feel the pressure of his excited member throbbing against her lower belly. Darcy reached out a single finger and with the lightest of touches traced a path across the ribbon holding the bodice of her dress barely closed, he felt Elizabeth shiver in reaction and moved his finger to her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his own.

"My dearest Elizabeth…" He whispered in a voice husky with desire. "It is the fulfilment of many a night's dream to have you finally in my home and can only urge you to stay for as long as you wish. You must know by now that I do not ever wish to leave but you have urged me repeatedly not to voice that wish… There are only two things that could give me more pleasure and one is them is that you will allow me to voice that most fervent desire….the other is…well I think that you could guess what that would be," Darcy reluctantly moved away from his lady and ran his hand through his curls impatiently. He had to stop for a moment and have firm words to his excited member to prevent himself from reaching out and dragging Elizabeth into the bedchamber that was so temptingly just a few steps away.

"God, Libby. Please just go into your room for me please, don't keep looking at me like that or I will never be able to walk away." Darcy pleaded with her to end his torment, he needed a few moments to calm himself, and he couldn't do that with Elizabeth standing in front of him looking so delicious. He placed his hands on her arms to gently push her into the bedchamber and but found himself pulling her against his chest again. Elizabeth let herself be pulled closer and felt no urge at all to free herself. Mesmerised by the look of hot desire in his eyes, Elizabeth felt her eyes close as she felt her breasts brush against his firm chest once and then again. She heard Darcy's sharp intake of breath and then a mutter of something under his breath before his lips came crashing down hard against hers. Her lips parted in surprise and Darcy took that instant to dart his tongue into her mouth in a hot and urgent kiss. He swept his tongue around her teeth and worked it in and out of her mouth like his arousal wanted to plunge in and out of her warm depths. Elizabeth felt her hands clutching helplessly at his waist and Darcy silently begged for to touch him further. He slipped one hand behind them and let it drift down her back towards her curved bottom where it came to a rest gently caressing in a circular motion. Elizabeth's hand tightened on Darcy's waist as the feelings inside her rose in intensity her legs parted slightly and Darcy inserted one firm knee in between her slim thighs and she unconsciously started to rub herself against it rhythmically. Elizabeth felt that warmth gathering in the depth of her stomach as his tongue continued to thrust and parry against her own in the warm depths of her mouth and her hips helplessly rode his knee in an attempt to seek some sort of release. Darcy groaned deeply and held her hips in a firm, bruising grips to still her movements, he felt a warning tingle in the base of his spine and knew that he was moments away from pulling her skirts up and thrusting himself firmly into her honeyed depths. Elizabeth found herself clutching at air as Darcy suddenly ripped himself from her grasp.

"God, Libby what you do to me! Make your mind up soon, I beg you. I'm not sure how much more of this delicious torment I can take." Darcy gave her one more long desirous look, sweeping eyes heavy lidded with desire right down her body and lingered on her nipples painfully thrusting against her bodice. She felt his hot, burning gaze and it made her pant harshly, gasping for breath. Elizabeth's tongue slipped out to moisten suddenly dry lips, Darcy groaned and tried to straighten his painfully aroused body. He couldn't take her nearness any longer and turned to run down the hallway to disappear from sight.

Elizabeth partially collapsed against the door and felt herself slip down to rest on the floor as her knees turned to jelly and refused to support her weight. Panting for breath, she leant her head in her hands and wondered whether she could survive being married to a man who could start a blaze deep within her. She had though that the flame had burnt out after their dip in the stream earlier that day, but it seemed that Darcy merely had to look in her direction and the embers would turn into a fire with just one spark. _Ah, but what a delicious way to expire, _came that sneaky voice from within her. _ Wouldn't you want to see what would happen if Will were to ever really let go? _Elizabeth felt herself grow moist at the thought of Darcy abandoning all hint of pride and propriety and dragging of to his bedchamber. The thought of seeing that proud, pulsing erection, glistening with moisture up close made her groan in reaction and she pressed herself back against the door as the ache in her womb grew deeper. Elizabeth made herself rise to her feet and she started to turn to follow in Darcy's footsteps when she heard Georgiana call out to her.

"Lizzie, I've found the perfect nightgown for you to wear. Are you quite alright, Lizzie, you look a little flushed?" Georgiana pressed one hand against Elizabeth's flushed cheek and peered into her eyes with concern, hoping that Darcy hadn't once again caused her new friend any anguish.

"No, no I'm quite alright really. Merely a little warm, and hungry." Elizabeth patted her hair back into place and went to make a movement in the direction of the staircase.

"Umm, Lizzie you may want to take a moment first." Georgiana motioned Lizzie toward the borrowed bedchamber and muttered under her breath when her entreaty seemed to fall on deaf ears. "Well, don't; say I didn't try to warn you." Georgiana quickly placed the borrowed articles of clothing and toiletries into Elizabeth's room and hurried to catch up with her. She found Elizabeth near the top of the stairs about to descend and reached out a hand to halt her progress. "Lizzie, you may want to take a look at yourself in the mirror before you go any further. You may wish to return to your bedchamber for a few moments?" Georgiana forcefully turned Elizabeth around to look into the large mirror at the very top of the stairs. Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest before she leant in closer to examine the person reflected in the mirror. She almost didn't recognize the person gazing back at her and stepped back in aghast.

"Oh my gosh! I look thoroughly…" She watched in the mirror as a slim and slightly tanned finger pressed lightly against lips swollen from pressure and saw that same finger sweep across cheeks still slightly flushed with desire. She patted ineffectually at hair that had escaped its usual smooth swept back style and tried to recall how exactly how that had happened.

"Kissed, I would imagine." Came a droll voice from behind them. Elizabeth spun around to find Edward and Lucy standing behind them on the stairs. Elizabeth stuttered and kept patting at her hair wondering how she became so thoroughly dishevelled and finally Lucy took pity on her woebegone niece and led her back towards Georgiana's room.

"Come along, my dears. We'll have you looking like new in no time. Edward, go on down to the dining room and explain that we'll be along shortly. Georgiana, perhaps a cool washcloth and a fresh dress?" Lucy led the younger women back along the corridor, leaving Edward muttering under his breath about young men losing all sense when it came to young women. He smiled inwardly at the thought of how his brother in law would take to having Darcy steal his beloved Lizzie away from the family, and rubbed his hands together in glee at the prospect of being the one to set off the ensuing fireworks when he returned back to Longbourn not only without Mr. Bennet's favourite daughter but also spirit Jane away too.


	6. Chapter 6

Elizabeth entered the dining room feeling a little more like herself after wiping her face with a cool washcloth and changing into yet another borrowed gown from Georgiana. She smiled in greeting and was led to a seat at one end of the table by a smiling Timothy. There were only six of them seated that night and so Darcy had requested that the meal be served in the family dining room where it was a much less grand setting. Darcy was seated at the head of the table with Georgiana to his left and Lucy to his right. At the foot of the table was Elizabeth, and Edward was next to Georgiana, Charles seated opposite. Elizabeth felt slightly uncomfortable being placed at seat usually reserved for the hostess and felt the need to ask if there hadn't been some mistake. Timothy, the young footman, assured her that the seating plan had been arranged by Mr. Darcy himself and that Miss Georgiana always preferred to seat herself at her brother's side.

"How do you like your bedchamber, Miss Elizabeth? I've heard that the Rose Suite was one of Lady Anne's favourite rooms." Charles enquired politely once their soup course had been served.

"It's very pleasant indeed, thank you Mr. Bingley. Have you never seen the Rose Suite?" Elizabeth replied, savouring the delicate taste of the warm soup.

"Ah, no. I have not had the privilege." Charles had been a frequent visitor to Pemberley over the years, but had always been firmly entrenched within the guest quarters and had never ventured past the massive doors that protected the very private areas of the Darcy household.

"Ummm…" Elizabeth didn't really know how to respond to that statement, but luckily the arrival of the main course meant that she didn't have to. Timothy slipped a plate containing a portion of salmon delicately flavoured with dill in front of her. He offered a choice of vegetables and Elizabeth silently chose baby new potatoes as she tried to think of a way to defuse the awkward silence that sprang between her and Charles.

"Miss Elizabeth?" Charles held his voice deliberately kept his voice low, to prevent from being overheard, "I must tell you how much I approve of the change that you have brought about in Darcy. Ever since his return from Kent, he is a changed man, and a much better friend and I have you to thank for that." Elizabeth looked over at Charles and he nodded slightly at her unspoken question. "He came to see me a few weeks ago and told me of his interference and that it was only after hearing your refusal that he realized that he had been in the wrong. I cannot presume to think that Jane would forgive me for holding her so little in regard, but I hope that in time I may begin to earn her trust back." Charles laid down his cutlery and looked straight into Elizabeth's eyes. "Tell me honestly, Miss Elizabeth, do you think that there is still a possibility…?" his voice trailed off, unable to voice his most fervent desire. Elizabeth gently patted his hand which lay nearest to her own on the table.

"My dear Mr. Bingley, I think that there is every possibility that Jane has never stopped in her regard for you, indeed she would never allow anyone to speak ill of you, even when she was feeling at her lowest." Charles brightened at the news and leant forward in excitement ready to clasp Elizabeth's hand, a frown aimed in his direction made him drop it quickly but she could hear the enthusiasm colouring his tone.

"Perhaps, one day we may all at this table, be related in some way or another."

"Yes, perhaps." Elizabeth murmured quietly, Darcy's sharp hearing picked up their quiet conversation, he was relieved to hear that Charles had obviously forgiven him for his interference with Jane. Social politeness had him turning to make conversation with his sister and Lucy and then he caught sight of Charles reaching over to clasp Elizabeth's hand. _The infernal cheek! To witter on about his lost chances with Jane and then makes pretty with My Elizabeth! _ Darcy shot a look of warning down the table and was rewarded when Charles dropped Elizabeth's hand as though it were a hot brick. He heard Charles' comment about how they might all be related in the future and was a little put out to hear Elizabeth's non-committal response. _Well, you see if I propose again anytime again soon if that's how you really feel about it!_ Elizabeth was a little uncomfortable discussing her sister's feelings for Charles, knowing that Jane kept her innermost feelings to herself and was terribly shy about admitting those feelings aloud. She didn't want to give Charles false hope but if Jane's last letter from London was anything to go by there was hope to be had.

Moving into the family parlour again after dinner, Darcy offered around a decanter of port to the gentlemen and they sat around the room discussing plans in a desultory manner for the following day. Charles was pacing in front of the unlit fireplace thinking about his dinner conversation with Elizabeth and wondering whether to send a letter back to Jane with her Aunt. Elizabeth noticed his pacing and finally got up to join him.

"Charles, I really do think that you still have a chance with Jane. Don't rush her though, she may just get overwhelmed and retreat from you altogether." Elizabeth advised him quietly, sending the same message across the room with her eyes toward Darcy, he slowly closed his eyes in understanding and nodded slowly to show that the message had been received and understood. Charles visibly relaxed at Elizabeth's statement and smiled in relief. She patted his arm and left him to his thoughts. As she passed Darcy's chair on the way back to her seat next to Georgiana, he reached out to briefly squeeze her fingers. She returned the pressure of his hand and then felt him let go and allow her to pass. The almost sombre mood lifted and Darcy called out to the room.

"Shall we play a little cards, before the Gardiner's leave us for the evening? It's still relatively early so we have time for a hand or two of whist or some such game."

"Oh, no! Not whist!" Georgiana protested, "That's far too complicated. Can we not play a memory game instead?"

"Elephant's foot umbrella stand!" Elizabeth and Lucy suggested together. It was a favourite past time within the Bennet household especially when one or another of the girls was feeling a little down at mouth, it never failed to bring a smile to their eyes.

"I'm afraid that I am not familiar with that particular game. Elizabeth would you care to elaborate?" Darcy asked the smiling lady. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, I would say I went to the market and I bought an elephant's foot umbrella stand…the next person would say: 'I went to the market and I bought an elephant's foot umbrella stand and…"

"…A purple umbrella." Interjected Lucy. Edward picked up the mantle and continued,

"I went to the market and I bought an elephant's foot umbrella stand, a purple umbrella and a black hat." He turned to Georgiana who thought for a moment and then nodded.

"I went to the market and I bought an elephant's foot umbrella stand, a purple umbrella, a black hat and a box of truffles!"

"I went to the market and I bought an elephant's foot umbrella stand, a purple umbrella, a black hat, a box of truffles and a …..Piece of humble pie." Charles couldn't stop thinking about his actions with Jane, even to play a simple parlour game. He forced a smile to his face, trying to make it seem like a joke and felt the embarrassment of tears threatening to well up behind his eyes.

"None of that Mr. Bingley! You will have to do better than that if you want to survive a long winter's night in the Bennet household. My father for one, tolerates no serious answers in the elephant foot game, indeed the sillier the better!" Elizabeth nudged Charles, playfully on the shoulder to try and break through his sudden seriousness.

"Quite right, Elizabeth! That really was appalling Charles, you must strike that from record and try again!" Darcy came across the room and pressed another glass of port into his friends hand and mouthed a 'thank you' to Elizabeth over his head.

"Ah, alright. I went to the market and I bought a yellow…peacock!" Charles tried again, and wondered why everyone shook their heads in dismay.

"No, Charles you have to start every round with the elephant's foot umbrella stand!" Elizabeth laughed.

"Miss Elizabeth, does your family not play any sensible games?" Charles despaired.

"Yes, we do. But this one is a particular favourite of both my Father and Jane's." Elizabeth only smiled again at the look of dismay on Charles face. "Perhaps we should drop the formality, it's so hard to keep hearing Miss Elizabeth, when one is hearing words of purple umbrella's and yellow peacocks! Please, won't you just call me Elizabeth?" She held out her hand in greeting. Charles shook it gently and responded in kind.

"Charles, please." He took a deep breath and started again, "I went to the market and I bought; an-elephant's-foot-umbrella-stand-a-purple-umbrella-a-black-hat…"As he took another breath in preparation to continue, an icy cold voice interrupted from the doorway, making him groan at the thought of having to start yet again.

"Well, isn't this cosy?" Remarked a snide Caroline Bingley, who had returned from Matlock early only to find this shockingly unexpected scene before her. "Look, Louisa we leave them to their own devices for one day and they practically revert to Neanderthals. It's positively shocking!" Caroline sniffed haughtily, referring of course to the fact that none of the gentlemen present were wearing any sort of jacket. Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his cheeks ruddy with embarrassment. He placed his glass down on the sideboard and rose to his feet, extending his hand to Darcy as he did so.

"Mr. Darcy, I thank you for a most entertaining afternoon and for your kind invitation to dine, but I really think that my wife and I ought to say goodnight and leave you to your guests…" Darcy sprang up from his chair and clapped Edward on the shoulder.

"Nonsense, Edward! It was entirely my pleasure! Surely yourself and Lucy can stay a little longer?" Darcy prevailed upon the Gardiner's to extend their stay, having noticed that Georgiana had immediately shrank back into her seat as soon as the Bingley sister's had entered the room. He threw a pleading glance over at Charles who was looking a little perplexed at the ladies early arrival, for they had not been expected until the next morning.

"Caroline, Louisa – I thought that you were to stay in Matlock this evening? How fortunate for you that we have all arrived a day early!" Charles rose from his seat and walked over to greet both of his sisters with a kiss on the cheek. Until that afternoon, they had intended to stay with one of their cousins in the nearby town until they had overheard a conversation in the milliner's shop that the Master of Pemberley had returned home. They quickly made their excuses to their poor cousin and promptly made the journey onto Pemberley that very afternoon. Caroline was not aware that her brother had already returned Georgiana to Pemberley and had rather hoped to surprise Darcy with her early arrival. Instead it was she that was surprised, and a rather unpleasant one it was too! Caroline gave her brother a tight smile and managed to whisper fiercely in his ear as he greeted Louisa -

"What on earth is Miss Eliza Bennet doing here? And who are those rather countrified people? Surely Darcy doesn't claim an acquaintance with them as well?" Unfortunately Caroline's version of a whisper was the type that carried throughout the whole room, and Darcy's face whitened with barely suppressed anger.

"On the other hand, Edward perhaps it would be best if you and Lucy returned to the Inn. It has been a long afternoon and full of surprises, not all of them pleasant." Darcy helped Lucy to her feet and gestured towards the hallway. "Georgiana, won't you join me in seeing our guests out? Elizabeth, shall you join us in saying goodnight to your aunt and uncle?" Darcy held out his arm to his sister and offered the other to Elizabeth, pitching his voice loud enough to ensure that Caroline paid attention to the family connection between Elizabeth and the older couple. Caroline also noticed how familiar Darcy was behaving towards them as well as the fact that he had referred to Elizabeth by her first name.

"Charles, you must tell me what is going on! Charles….Charles?" Caroline almost hissed the questions towards her brother, voice tight with fury. All of her careful plans were disappearing into a puff of smoke. It was inconceivable that after all of this time, that Eliza Bennet should suddenly appear and turn everything upside down in an instant. Caroline had felt sure that Darcy had finally come to his senses regarding his feelings towards Miss Bennet and after prowling around his townhouse like a bear with a sore head, had come to realize that she, Caroline Bingley would make a far more suitable match. Caroline turned back to Charles for a response, only to find herself addressing an empty space.

"Well Charles? Louisa, where did Charles get to? Did he not realize that I was addressing him?" Caroline placed her hands on her hips, infuriated at the disappearance of her brother. She looked at her sister, who was plucking invisible stray threads of her reticule.

"I believe that Charles followed….those people, although I really feel that we ought to have stayed at dear Mariah's, Caroline. Darcy seems to have found that odd looking Bennet girl again. I thought that you said that he wanted nothing more to do with the chit?" Louisa responded lazily, gesturing towards the entrance hall. Caroline sniffed haughtily in response and looked around the room for a servant.

"You girl!" She pointed at poor Nancy who was collecting glasses and placing them on a silver platter.

"Yes, Miss?" Nancy put down the platter with a nervous hand, and bobbed a curtsey.

"That Miss Bennet…has she been in Derbyshire long? When did she arrive at Pemberley? Before or after Mr. Darcy? Well, answer me girl!" Caroline paced in front of the fireplace and the placed herself directly in front of Nancy, who was shaking a little in fear. Temper had made Caroline bristle and caused her lips to thin and cheeks to pinch.

"I'm not entirely sure how long she has been in the county, Miss. I do know that she only arrived at Pemberley this morning, Miss. To pay a visit to the house with her aunt and uncle, I don't believe that she knew that the Master was at home when she arrived, as she looked right peaky when they met in the gardens." Nancy tried to give Caroline a very condensed version of the truth, wanting to appease her a little so that she would be a little less bitter, but at the same time knowing that her loyalties lay with the Darcy's first and foremost. Nancy could see clearly that this information had not appeased Caroline in the slightest and knew just how cruel the woman could be when she was in a temper. When Caroline was in a beastly mood, she took her temper out on whichever poor servant was in the local vicinity and her cruel words frequently caused some poor girl to run from the room in tears on every visit. Nancy saw that Caroline was clenching her teeth in an effort to rein in her temper and visibly quaked as Caroline twisted her hands in the sides of her skirt.

"Ah, Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst! I see that you have arrived to join your brother! This is a day for unexpected guests, isn't it?" Mrs. Reynolds interrupted from the doorway just in time to prevent Nancy from facing the brunt of the storm about to erupt. "Nancy, hadn't you be getting that tray down to the kitchens? Those glasses won't wash themselves, you know." She discreetly spared a kindly smile in the girls' direction as Nancy passed her with the tray.

"Mrs. Reynolds, I trust that our rooms are in order? I do hope that they have been aired out properly, I fear that the summer heat must have made the rooms dreadfully warm." Caroline finally managed a calm sentence and made the enquiry of the housekeeper.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have any trouble in that aspect. Your rooms receive the morning sun and so are nicely cooled for the afternoon." Mrs. Reynolds assured the ladies, waiting for their reaction.

"The east? Surely our rooms face the other direction?" Louisa exclaimed in horror, she was not an early riser and the thought of the morning sun streaming in did not please her at all. Caroline thought of the floor plan of the upper floor and came to the realization that she had not been placed in the room that she normally occupied when visiting Pemberley. In fact, her rooms this time were so far away from the family wing that they were almost part of the servant's quarters.

"Mrs. Reynolds, dearest. I think there must be some mistake, I usually occupy the lovely green room with the draped four poster. I know that faces the north side or has the house suddenly changed aspect?" Caroline finished snidely.

"No the house is still where it has always been, it's just that Mr. Darcy is expecting some very important guests next week and wanted them all to be comfortable." Mrs. Reynolds hid a smile, hoping that the inference that Mr. Darcy hoped that the two sisters would be very uncomfortable in their reassigned quarters, would be realized. For her own part, she hoped the neither woman would cause any trouble for the two lovebirds and that they would feel uncomfortable enough to cut their visit short.

"Whatever could be keeping Darcy and Charles for so long? They have had plenty of time to say their goodbyes," Caroline returned to pacing in front of the fireplace, turning events over and over in her head trying to make sense of it all.

"Oh, they are probably taking a turn around the garden with the young ladies. It is a pleasant evening and I know how fond Miss Elizabeth is of the trout stream. They are probably all down there now seeing whether the fish have recovered from their mishap this afternoon…" Mrs. Reynolds walked over to the window and peered out, knowing that curiosity would get the better of at least one of the sisters.

"Whatever do you mean…what young ladies?"

"What mishap?"

Both sisters peppered questions at Mrs. Reynolds at the same time, she smiled to herself, making sure that she kept her face averted from their line of sight.

"Ah yes, there they are now. Don't they all look happy? I shall never forget the look on Mr. Darcy's face…such a sight! Oh, careful Sir! Take care not to slip again…" Mrs. Reynolds chuckled as she watched Elizabeth pretending to shove Darcy back into the water and then smiled fondly when she saw how the Master grabbed his beloved in his arms and pretended to throw her in the water. The squeals of laughter emanating from both Elizabeth and Georgiana drew both Caroline and Louisa closer to the windows, only for Mrs. Reynolds to draw the curtains closed before they could see anything.

"Mrs. Reynolds, you simply must tell us what is going on!" Caroline almost stamped her foot in annoyance, but settled for tapping her foot impatiently on the carpet.

"Well, Miss Elizabeth took exception to something Mr. Darcy did…or said, I can't quite remember which it was…" Mrs. Reynolds said slowly, feigning memory loss, and wanting to draw out the agonizing expectancy.

"Yes…and then?"

"She tripped, or he slipped and they both ended up taking an unexpected dip in the trout stream. Anyway, they all came up to the house and Miss Georgiana took an immediate liking to the young lady and invited her to stay the night." Mrs. Reynolds did not volunteer the information that it was the Master's wish that Miss Elizabeth spend the next month at Pemberley, or the fact that the Gardiner's themselves would be returning in the morning for the rest of the week, or that over the next month the house would practically be taken over by Miss Elizabeth's extended family…_No, best I let them find that out on their own, it's more fun that way! _ She left the two sisters, speechless for once, absorbing that information and returned to the kitchens.

"Mission accomplished!" She informed the head staff, "That bit of gossip has set the cat amongst the pigeon's that's for sure!"

"What's the cover story, Mrs. Reynolds? How much did you tell them?" Henry asked as he poured her a much needed cup of tea. Mrs. Reynolds paused with the cup raised halfway to her lips.

"Well as far as they know, Miss Elizabeth is merely an overnight guest and that she slipped into the stream this afternoon and dragged poor Mr. Darcy with her. They know nothing of his plans for the future or that the house will soon be full of the little Miss's family….nor do I want them to know." She shot a warning glance around the table. "If Mr. Darcy wants them to know anything, he will inform them in due course."

"How did they take the change of room? It's not their 'usual'." Frederick, the pastry chef asked.

"If you ask me, those two Madam's think far too highly of themselves…expecting to be given the best of everything. I bet that one even expects to be given a room in the Master's own wing…" Henry muttered as he pottered around the table, moving mugs around but not really having a purpose until everyone returned to the house and the main door was bolted for the night.

"Hmmm, that came as a bit of a shock. Wait until they discover that Mr. Darcy's 'very important guests' are a group of noisy children! I believe that I will place the youngest boys in the smaller room at the end of the corridor."

"Isn't that right next to the green room, Mrs. Reynolds?" Nancy enquired, pausing as she polished the silverware.

"Why, Nancy I do believe that you are right!" Everyone laughed at that and raised their mugs in salute to a job well done.


	7. Chapter 7

Unaware that they were so closely watched from the dining room, Darcy and Elizabeth had wandered off to stroll along the banks of the trout stream. Darcy was determined to keep Elizabeth at arm's length until she agreed to accept his hand, although events of the day had him tested to his very limit. He knew that with one more kiss, he would be in danger of forcing her to accept him by compromising her most thoroughly. Darcy kept the conversation light as they strolled along the path, and was sure to keep his sister and Charles in their line of sight at all times. Elizabeth, walking alongside him was amused at how Darcy had suddenly reverted back to the prim and proper Mr. Darcy that had first made her acquaintance. She wondered just how many facets there were to Fitzwilliam Darcy and that it would take a lifetime to discover them all. _You silly goose! Don't you realise that is exactly what the man is offering you? A whole lifetime, to discover each other's most inner soul…_ It was at that moment that Elizabeth realised that being Mrs. Darcy was all she ever wanted to be…

"William?" At her soft whisper of his name, Darcy turned to face her in the twilight, keeping a respectful distance between them.

"Yes, Elizabeth?"

"I'm ready for that question now." Darcy was rocked to his very core, shocked delight sweeping through his veins. He shook his head in almost disbelief and took a half step towards her before pulling himself back.

"No, you only think you are ready… Elizabeth, I need you to be absolutely certain that this is really what you want." He held out his hand to stay her protests. "I want…no need you to be completely clear headed when I ask you again, so I know that you aren't just caught up in the moment. I'm not certain I could take it if you changed your mind."

"William, I am completely certain. Right here, right now. Please, just ask me." Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing, she thought that Darcy would have leapt at the chance to press his suit. Especially after the way he had kissed her earlier outside her bedchamber. It was then that she finally realised the meaning behind his words. Darcy didn't want her to feel that he had pressured her into marriage by compromising her senses with passion. In that moment, she realised that he desperately loved her and that she truly loved him in return.

"Very well, William. Ask me again tomorrow, and I swear to you now my answer will certainly be…"

"No, my love. Don't say it now. Let me hear it tomorrow." Darcy pressed a finger against her lips and smiled a little as she pressed a fleeting kiss against it. She removed his finger so that she could speak again.

"Yes, tomorrow." Elizabeth reached out her hand and Darcy pressed a kiss to her palm and covered her fingers over it. He placed hand in the crook of his arm and drew her a little closer. Elizabeth laid her head against his shoulder, and he sighed in contentment as they walked back in silence to the house.

Just behind them, Charles and Georgiana were strolling along arm in arm smiling at the picture the other couple made. Georgiana sighed a little and Charles looked over at his young friend.

"What troubles you, Georgie?" He found himself slipping into the familiarity of using the pet name that Elizabeth had used earlier that day.

"Oh, I don't know Charles. I am happy for my brother, I really am. But somehow I feel as if…" Georgiana sighed again, not really knowing how to put into words the emptiness she felt inside at the sight of her brother nestled so closely against the woman he loved. She wasn't jealous or resentful just slightly wistful at the thought of finding someone to share her very private moments with. Just last summer she had thought she had found that special person, only to find her heart shattered when she discovered his true intentions.

"Ah, Georgiana. Not every man is like Wickham! You just need to open your heart to the possibilities and try not to be afraid." Charles patted her arm consolingly, he knew that she had been cruelly disappointed but the fact that she was still so young surely was in her favour.

"Is that advice that you are taking yourself, then Charles? I know that you must be feeling anxious about seeing Miss Bennet again."

"Nervous, excited, anxious and everything in between if you want to know the truth. But I am determined that I discover whether Jane has any feelings left for me or whether my desertion has destroyed any chance that we may have had together. And don't think I didn't notice your changing the subject, Miss Darcy!" Charles wagged a finger in warning towards Georgiana and then noticed her small shiver. "Come along, let's go inside. The evening has started to cool and you are out here without even your wrap." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder to warm her and felt, rather than heard her chuckle. He bent down to enquire what she found amusing.

"I was just thinking that a gentleman would offer a lady his jacket, and then I remembered that you aren't even wearing yours!" Charles straightened his spine in remembrance and then realised that it really didn't bother him in the slightest that he was not properly dressed in the eyes of society.

"Do you know that apart from that few moments in the parlour earlier, I hadn't even noticed that I was without my proper attire? It is quite a remarkable feeling, I may even stop wearing one at home…"

"Mmmm, I wonder what your sister would make of that." Georgiana mused and they shared an amusing thought of how disdainful Caroline's reaction would be when presented with a coat less Charles on a nightly basis. "Oh, Charles if only I found conversing with other men as easy as I do with Darcy and yourself. I swear, if you weren't so devoted to Miss Bennet, I might have considered marrying you myself!"

"You haven't lost your chance yet, Georgie dear. My darling Jane might refuse me and I might steal you off in the dead of night and carry you off to Greta Green. We might have to live abroad though, once your brother finds out…" Charles pretended to think about it for a moment and then dismissed the idea. "No, it would never work between us, Georgie. I fear it would be like…"

"Marrying a brother. Yes, I feel the same. It's a shame though, otherwise we would be quite perfect for one another." They stopped walking and looked at each other quite seriously for a moment, and then dissolved into laughter. Georgiana was still mopping up her tears as they re-entered the house and made their goodnights.

"Goodnight Darcy, Elizabeth, Caroline. Good night never to be husband." Georgiana called cheekily to Charles as she started towards the staircase.

"Goodnight never to be wife, pleasant dreams!" Charles waved goodnight as Georgiana stepped out of sight and turned to the amused faces of Darcy and Elizabeth, who had crooked one eyebrow up questioningly.

"Oh, we were just discussing how much we are alike and how it was a pity we could never marry." Caroline stepped forward, happy intent on her face. It had always been a wish that the two families be joined in marriage; herself to Darcy and Charles to Georgiana.

"Charles, surely you don't mean that?" Caroline felt certain that he had proposed whilst out walking and simply could not fathom a reason as to why Georgiana was demurring.

"Settle down, Caroline. It's nothing like that! No, what I meant was it would be like marrying my own sister! Anyway my affections lie in another direction entirely, you know that." Charles wanted to bring a halt to Caroline's line of questioning before it got too out of hand. Elizabeth could see that Caroline was not to be placated and decided to turn in herself.

"Well, I think that I will head upstairs myself. It's been rather a tiring day. I wish you a good evening Miss Bingley, you too Charlie." Elizabeth heard Caroline's indrawn breath at the familiarity of how she addressed her brother but shrugged it off. If Charles were to join the Bennet family he must learn to relax and by accepting a more familiar form of address was a start.

"Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth dipped into a low curtsey in front of Darcy only to find her hand captured and held firmly within his grasp as he raised her to her feet.

"So, I'm Mr. Darcy again am I?" He whispered so that only she could hear. Aloud he raised his voice to the rest of the room. "Miss Bennet, allow me to escort you to your rooms. Pemberley can be a bit of a maze at times, and I wouldn't want you to lose your way. Charles, Caroline I wish you good evening, I'm sure that you can find your own way upstairs." Darcy ignored Caroline's stuttered protests as he led Elizabeth towards the hallway, he wished to make his good nights in private and hoped that Elizabeth felt the same way…

"Charles, surely one of the servants could show Miss Bennet to her room? How uncivilised of Darcy to abandon us like this. It's unheard of for a host to leave his guests alone downstairs whilst he goes off to bed!" Caroline put her hands on her hips in the familiar expression of mild fury. She crossed to the doorway and watched as Darcy led Elizabeth up towards the upper floor. Her fury increased as she realised that he was leading her towards the family wing and not the guest quarters! Charles drew alongside her and reached over to close her drooping jaw where her mouth had fallen open in shock.

"You had better get used to that sight Caro. Darcy is determined to marry her and I don't believe that he is willing to accept anything other than a 'yes' this time around." With a swift peck on her cheek, Charles bounded up the stairs and was quickly out of sight.

"Will there be anything else, Miss?" Henry looked over towards Caroline who was amazed to find herself alone on the ground floor except for the fleeting presence of the servants. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was barely even ten o'clock. Caroline fluttered her hand in dismissal and realising that there was nothing left to do; flounced her way upstairs to bed.

Darcy left a breathless Elizabeth at the door to her bedchamber after a very private goodnight. He whistled as he wandered off down the hallway towards his own room. He looked back just as he turned the corner and saw that Elizabeth had sagged against the wall, fanning her face to cool it down. He smiled wryly and forced himself to continue on his way, fighting the urge to return and make their brief goodnight into a very long goodnight.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning Elizabeth rose early, and dressed in the same borrowed gown from the evening before; made her way down to the breakfast room. Peering around the door, she was expecting to see Darcy sitting with the newspaper but was surprised to see only Charles in the room. He rose politely to his feet as she entered the room and drew a chair out at the table.

"Good Morning, Charles. Is Darcy not downstairs yet?" Elizabeth asked as she opened a napkin over her lap.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth I haven't seen him. I thought that you were going to call me Charlie from now on?"

"I was trying to annoy your sister. She delights in tormenting me, and that is my little payback. Unless you would prefer that I don't address you as such at all? I didn't even think of asking whether it made you feel uncomfortable…" Elizabeth turned concerned eyes to Charles and he pondered the question for a moment.

"Do you know, I don't think that anyone has ever called me 'Charlie' before, it might take a little getting used to, but I think that I might grow accustomed to it? Do you think that Jane would like it? I believe she refers to you as 'Lizzie' and uses 'Kitty' for your sister…"

"Maybe we should try it out for a little while, just amongst friends. I'm testing out Darcy by calling him 'William', 'Fitzwilliam' is such a mouthful and I would rather not take my mother's lead, she persists in referring to my father as 'Mr. Bennet' and it always sounds so formal." Elizabeth reached for a piece of toast and noticed that a pot of plum jam held pride of place in the centre of the table. She spread a large portion over her toast and murmured her appreciation. The staff had been on lookout for her arrival and as soon as word had reached the kitchens that she had entered the breakfast room, fresh hot chocolate had been prepared and was being carefully brought in by Nancy.

"Hot chocolate, Miss?" Nancy offered the steaming pot to Elizabeth who sniffed in appreciation. As the warm brown liquid was carefully poured into her cup, Elizabeth drank in the fragrance with delight.

"Ah, Charlie…hot chocolate. I'd be willing to share, if you would like some?" Charles made a funny grimace and refused the offer.

"Thank you, but no. How you ladies can drink that first thing in the morning is beyond me. I much prefer tea in the morning and then coffee in the afternoon. I believe that Darcy is the other way around, he likes a strong coffee to wake him up. Speaking of Darcy, here he is now…" Darcy strolled into the breakfast room, still looking a little rumpled from sleep. He muttered a greeting to Charles and buried his head behind the newspaper as Nancy hurried over to pour his first cup of coffee.

"Is he always like this?" Elizabeth murmured to Charles as Darcy continued to read the newspaper without even acknowledging her presence.

"I'm afraid so, it usually takes two cups to make him human." They chuckled a little, and turned back to their breakfast.

"Darcy, have you noticed anything different this morning?" Charles finally asked his friend, when after two cups of coffee Darcy still hadn't emerged from behind the newspaper.

"Look Charles, I've had a terribly restless night and face a very confusing day ahead. I'm not in the mood for your endless wittering, I need to stay focused for when Elizabeth comes downstairs." Darcy had spent most of the night rehearsing another proposal and as such was feeling sore headed from lack of sleep.

"Ummm, Darcy? You might want to start paying attention, Elizabeth has been up for hours…" Charles rapped his knuckles on the table to force Darcy to place the newspaper down. Darcy did so very slowly and looked over to where Elizabeth was looking very amused.

"Elizabeth, I am so sorry. Please forgive me! I haven't been a very gracious host have I?" He rose to his feet and bent over her hand to place a gentle kiss on the back of it. Charles cleared his throat slightly and made some excuse about having his valet polish his boots and left the two alone together in the breakfast room. As soon as he left, Timothy and Henry took positions either side of the breakfast room doors and quietly closed them almost shut.

"William, please don't worry about it. I can see that you have a particular ritual in the mornings and I don't want to cause you any unnecessary disruption…" Elizabeth stared into his warm brown eyes, which were almost the same colour as the hot chocolate still siting warm in her cup. Darcy retained his grip on her hand and took a seat beside her at the table.

"My darling girl, to see you sitting across the table before me is a very pleasant distraction indeed! The reason I slept poorly was because you were all I could think about. Whether you were comfortable, whether you liked the colours of the room, were you warm enough… but mainly because you were just a few rooms away."

"Oh William!" Elizabeth reached over with her free hand to gently caress the side of his face, smiling when he turned to rub his cheek against her palm. He captured that gentle hand and his gaze turned serious.

"Elizabeth, I told you last night that I wouldn't ask you again until I was certain that your head was clear. Tell me, is your head clear and heart wide open?"

"My dearest Mr. Darcy, my heart has always been open but my head can never be clear when you are all I seem to be thinking about." Darcy smiled softly at her whispered confession and then left his seat in preparation to drop to one knee… He muttered a curse when there was a knock on the door, and stood stiffly behind Elizabeth's chair.

"Enter!"

"Pardon me, Mr. Darcy. But the Gardiner's have arrived and have brought Miss Elizabeth's luggage. I was wondering whether the young lady wished to change into her own clothes?" Nancy tentatively posed the question as she stood in the now open doorway.

"Thank you, Nancy. Darcy, I would like to be in my own things, perhaps we can try this again a little later?" Elizabeth looked up slightly into his cross face and stroked the hand that was resting lightly on the back of her chair.

"It never seems to be the right time for us, does it?"

"It will be soon, I promise. Now you go and be the gracious host that I know that you are, and I will pop upstairs and freshen up. What time does Georgiana usually rise?" Darcy's face relaxed into a smile at her reassurance and helped Elizabeth to her feet.

"Georgiana has always been a late riser, preferring to take her breakfast in her room. Apart from when Charles pays me a visit, I've always breakfasted alone."

"Not anymore, I've always found the early morning to be my favourite time of day."

"I look forward to spending many more mornings with you, dearest Elizabeth." Darcy leant down to brush his lips across her forehead and gently propelled her out of the room. "Go and change, as you say, there will be time enough for us later." Elizabeth waved a goodbye and Darcy sighed a little at yet another lost chance, pasted a firm smile on his face and strode out into the hallway to greet his other guests.

"Edward, Lucy! More early risers I see. Tell me, have you had breakfast? No? Please come on into the breakfast room and I'll call for some fresh tea. Nancy, would you mind informing cook please?" Darcy gestured for Edward and Lucy to precede him back into the breakfast room and settled them in.

"So Darcy, did you get her to say yes yet?" Edward asked as soon as he sat down. Darcy gaped for a moment and then a startled burst of laughter brought tears of mirth to his eyes.

"Well, you get straight to the point don't you, Edward?"

"Did I tell you that I was a solicitor? There's no point in beating around the bush in my line of work. Now, have you proposed yet or haven't you?" Edward reached for a scone and dropped a large quantity of plum jam into the centre and took a huge bite. He raised an eyebrow in Darcy's direction and sighed heavily when Darcy revealed that he had been attempting another proposal just as they had arrived.

"Have you no romance in your soul, lad? You don't propose over tea and toast! It should be over a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates…or some such things. Our Lizzie loves a walk, so take her out amongst the wild flowers or on one of your favourite paths in the gardens… show some imagination, or else come September you will find yourself alone again." Edward offered Darcy the advice and looked over to make certain that he was paying attention.

"I see Edward, yes I think I have all of that. Now what do you say to getting started with preparations for the Fayre? I have asked all of the senior staff to assemble in the ballroom where I've had a few tables assembled. I think it would be an idea for them to tell the ladies exactly what entertainment was provided in my Mother's time. In the meantime, I thought that Charles and yourself might like to become better acquainted over some fishing tackle. I myself have some business to discuss with my steward but should be free to accompany you down to the lakes this afternoon. Does that meet with your approval Edward, Lucy?" Darcy rose from his seat and held out an arm to Lucy who accepted it with a smile.

"I've already suggested to Mrs. Reynolds that she sit with the three of you this morning, just to introduce you to the staff." Darcy led the way out of the breakfast room and past the library, dining room and his study before pausing before a set of elaborately carved gilded doors. "Here is the ballroom," Darcy threw open the large doors in a flourish to reveal the opulent sight within. "I know, it's a little grandiose for my tastes, but was quite the thing in my Mother's days as Mistress of Pemberley." As they walked in, Lucy was taken aback at the sheer size and splendour of the room. Huge floor to ceiling mirrors covered each end of the room and there were alcoves evenly spaced along each of the long sides. Each alcove contained a small velvet settee and was surrounded by detailed carvings from Shakespeare and either side of the alcove held a magnificent four armed candelabra. Edward craned his neck to see all around and was trying to estimate exactly how large the room really was, it was difficult to work out as there were endless reflections being bounced back into the room from the mirrors.

Just to the right of the entry way a large table had been set up with several smaller round tables dotted around it. Mrs. Reynolds was laying out a tea service and looked up as they walked over.

"Lucy, I leave you in Mrs. Reynolds most capable hands. Mrs. Reynolds, I have asked that Nancy show Miss Elizabeth and Miss Georgiana to the ballroom as soon as they return downstairs. Hopefully Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst will keep themselves occupied this morning, they rarely seem venture forth until luncheon anyway. Ladies," Darcy handed Lucy over to Mrs. Reynolds and bowed over Lucy's hand before he and Edward left the ladies to discuss the Fayre.

Staff from all aspects of Pemberley began drifting into the ballroom closed followed by Georgiana and Elizabeth. People began milling around talking amongst themselves before Mrs. Reynolds drew everyone to order. She directed people to take a seat and then bade the ladies to take their places at the large rectangular table.

"Mrs. Reynolds, this is a little regimented don't you think?" Elizabeth felt as if she were taking part in some sort of trial, seated up at the table looking over a crowd of now silent staff.

"What did you have in mind, Miss?" Mrs. Reynolds was intrigued at how the young lady would break the ice, how the staff treated her in the future depended a lot on her actions over the new few minutes.

"Well, for one thing," Elizabeth stated, "these tables are far too apart! Can we have a few footmen bring them in a little closer?" Mrs. Reynolds nodded and gestured for a two strapping young footmen to come into the room. "Gentlemen, I'd like this large table moved back against the wall please. And these smaller tables moved closer together. If we could have some more cups sent in please, as well. I'd also like a plentiful supply of paper, ink and quills." Elizabeth issued her instructions and the men moved the furniture. Mrs. Reynolds sent Nancy to the kitchens for more tea and cups to be sent up. Elizabeth nodded in satisfaction and then addressed the staff.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like you all to rearrange yourselves to be seated in the areas of the household that you work in. Over here I would like the garden staff, and those responsible for arranging the household flowers." Elizabeth pointed to one of the tables and the staff moved over. "Then here, I would like the kitchen staff, including pastry chefs, wine steward and anyone else with a particular speciality in the kitchen." Elizabeth continued to rearrange the staff until they were all seated in the order she required. When the paper and ink arrived, she issued each table with instructions that they were to write any memories that they had of past Fayre's that had taken place at Pemberley. Lucy and Georgiana hid a smile at Elizabeth's commanding attitude and walked slowly amongst the tables looking over the ideas.

"I get the feeling that I am somehow surplus to requirements." Lucy murmured low to the younger girl.

"Me, too. Do you think that she really needs us right now? I would much rather be in my music room right now." Georgiana sighed a little unhappily at the thought of missing her practise sessions.

"Elizabeth dear, Georgiana has just had a rather marvellous idea that we should have music throughout the Fayre. We are just going off to look through some music sheets in Georgiana's music room." Lucy called over to where Elizabeth was discussing the merits of an archery contest versus a croquet match.

"Splendid idea Georgiana, we could make it into a musical competition. I do hope that you will be performing?" Elizabeth made another notation on her sheet and waved them out of the room. "Now where were we, No, Henry I don't think that a tug of war in the mud is such a good idea…"


	9. Chapter 9

A few hours later Elizabeth was in search of Georgiana, she had a sheaf of papers in hand and was looking down at them without looking where she was heading.

"Mmph!" She collided with a solid, immovable object and had the breath knocked out of her for a moment.

"Elizabeth, do forgive me!"

"William, you gave me a start!"

Both started to speak at the same time and then laughed a little. Darcy leant down and picked up the scattered papers, he glanced them over before handing them back to Elizabeth.

"Hmm, archery; croquet; flower arranging; pie eating; music….you have been busy!"

"Yes, it's been a very fruitful morning, but I had a few questions for Georgiana, have you seen her?"

"No, I thought that she was with you?" Darcy turned puzzled eyes toward Elizabeth who looked a little sheepish.

"I think that I got a little over enthusiastic in the ballroom, she and Aunt Lucy went off to look over some music but that was hours ago and I have some questions that Georgiana may be able to help me with." Elizabeth explained her reorganisation of the ballroom and splitting the staff into their work areas.

"I see, perhaps the music room?" Darcy suggested, he was smiling a little at the thought of Elizabeth commanding the staff as though she were a military leader.

"No, that was the first place I tried. Is there anywhere else? I do need to get this information back to Elsie today, otherwise I might have a riot on my hands!" Elizabeth tapped her papers impatiently.

"Elsie?" Darcy enquired, frowning whilst trying to recall a staff member with that name.

"Elsie, your cook?" Elizabeth looked up in askance, how could he not know the name of his own cook?

"Oh, Elspeth Matthews. I see, she doesn't usually let anyone call her Elsie…"

"Yes, well. Elsie needs to know approximate numbers for the Fayre. I also need to know how many children, adults ecetera."

"I don't think that Georgiana would be able to help you with those sorts of questions. As you know up until recently she has been away at school and it has only been this past year that she has returned home to Pemberley. Perhaps I could assist?" Darcy held out his hand for the papers and carefully looked them over. "Hmm, will you take a seat in my study? This may take some time."

"Into your inner sanctum? Georgiana mentioned that you hardly let anyone enter such hallowed ground…" Elizabeth teased as she entered the very masculine room which held traces of Darcy's citrus scented bath soap. She looked around as she took a seat in a deep leather chair in front of the unlit fireplace. Darcy's large, solid desk was in front of a window that looked out into the back gardens. She noticed however, that the desk faced into the room and not out into the spectacular vista. From the window she could see the blooming rose gardens with its twisting paths that stretched out into the woodland and beyond.

"That is why my desk faces into the room and not out…." Darcy's statement broke through her musings and she realised that she had been gazing out for quite some time. Elizabeth gave a wry grin and turned her attention to the rest of the room. Across from Darcy's desk was a small table, with a wooden globe mounted on it. On either side of the window frame, floor to ceiling bookcases stood filled with books with handsome leather bindings. At the far end of the room were another set of doors that were firmly shut.

"My Mother's reading room," Darcy stated, correctly interpreting Elizabeth's raised eyebrow. "Now, let us turn our attention to our guests, shall we?" Darcy laid down the papers and laced his hands in front of him. Elizabeth smiled a little at the use of the pronoun but held quill over paper in readiness. Darcy rose to pace in front of the windows and then came out from behind his desk to stand in front of the table which held the wooden globe. He reached out a finger to make the globe spin, around and around it went as he looked on with sightless eyes.

"William, what is troubling you so?" Elizabeth rose to her feet and crossed over to stand next to him. She reached out a finger to touch the globe, warm from his hands and raised her eyes to meet his gaze.

"Nothing is troubling me, I was just thinking of my mother. She would spend hours in that room over there, waiting for my father to finish his work. And some afternoon's they would take tea together behind closed doors…I don't think for one minute that they were really taking tea, but they always seemed so happy together afterwards…" Darcy smiled faintly in recollection, his eyes on the closed doors, but his mind in a far off memory. "After she died, my father couldn't bear to go in there and had orders that the doors remain shut. They've been closed ever since."

"Do you think…?" Elizabeth started to speak and then closed her mouth. She desperately wanted to peak behind those closed doors, but did not want to cause Darcy any further anguish. He smiled down at her and captured her hand.

"Would you like to go in?" At her brilliant smile, Darcy led her over to the doors. He slowly opened one side and led her through. Bright sunshine spilled through the casement window and shone onto clean dark wood desk. The walls were painted white and the carpet a faded dusky rose. Fresh flowers were on the sideboard making their fragrance linger in the air, not a dust particle was in sight which surprised Elizabeth.

"Mrs. Reynolds comes in here every morning, to change the flowers and air the room. It was in here that she and my mother would discuss the household matters, new staff and the menus and such…I think sometimes, she misses her as much as I do." At his words, Elizabeth turned to place a hand in caress on his cheek.

"Oh, William…" Words escaped her, and she felt a tear threaten in her, this man that stood before her, so much emotion and yet he found it difficult to express. Darcy removed her hand and pressed a kiss into the palm and then coughed to remove the emotion from his throat.

"So, Elizabeth. Numbers for attendance?" He led the way back into his study and once again closed the door to his mother's room. Instead of the armchair, Elizabeth found herself sitting in the large swivel chair behind Darcy's desk. He once again resumed pacing in front of the window and then paused assuming his favourite thinking position with one booted foot propped up against a small footstool. Elizabeth took a gulping breath as the position caused his breeches to tighten against firm, muscular thighs…

"…And there is the local magistrate and his family, a wife and three young sons. Elizabeth…Elizabeth, are you paying attention?" Darcy rose his voice a little louder and managed to rouse her from a particularly lustful daydream, in which his large swivel chair featured prominently…

"Yes, I'm listening, a magistrate with three daughters." Elizabeth nodded as she scribbled the information down, or was it sons?

"Sons." Darcy confirmed as he straightened up, causing Elizabeth to sigh a little wistfully. He looked over questioningly and at her shake of head, continued.

"There are seven tenant farmers around Pemberley, I would like them all invited. There are the Harris's; they have two sons and a daughter. The Smith's; just a daughter, the Mill's; four young boys with the youngest barely a year old…" Darcy continued to list everyone in the local vicinity that he felt should be invited, once finished the list reached nearly seventy people. Elizabeth rose from the chair, wincing a little at the stiffness in her writing hand, she gasped as she looked at the ornate clock on the mantle.

"William, it's nearly one o'clock. We've nearly completely missed luncheon!"

"I was rather hoping that you would agree to have a quiet luncheon, just the two of us. There are some things that I would like to say to you that cannot be said in front of an audience…" Darcy held his breath as he issued the invitation, hoping that he would not be disappointed. Luck was on his side though when Elizabeth shyly agreed.

"That would be lovely, if I could just have a few moments to freshen up?" They agreed to meet in the summer house in fifteen minutes, both went their separate ways. Darcy to find Mrs. Reynolds to relay his request and Elizabeth to her room to splash her face with cool, refreshing water. She had the unfortunate experience of meeting Caroline Bingley at the top of the stairs on her return journey.

"Miss Eliza Bennet! I must say your arrival here at Pemberley was such a surprise! How are you finding things? I imagine that they are a little different from what you are used to?" Caroline delighted in pointing out the differences between their stations. "That little parlour game that you were all enjoying last night and that moonlit walk – I wouldn't be so certain of those repeating now that I am here! Darcy usually has a much higher class of entertainment when he knows that I am visiting. Oh look, he's here to greet me already!" Caroline held out a hand in welcome as they reached the bottom of the stairs, certain that Darcy was there to escort her into the dining room as was his custom. She could only look on in amazement as Darcy held out a hand to Elizabeth stepping off the staircase instead.

"Elizabeth, shall we?" Darcy held tightly to Elizabeth's hand and tucked it firmly into the crook of his elbow. He nodded politely to Caroline and then led Elizabeth down the hallway. "I thought the summerhouse for luncheon…" Caroline went to follow them, assuming that everyone would be dining al fresco and was brought up short by a cough from a footman holding open the dining room doors. She flounced her way through and was met with greetings by Charles.

"Caroline, Good Afternoon, you've arrived down just in time for luncheon. I see that Darcy has finally managed to escape with Elizabeth." Charles rose from his seat to hold out a chair for his sister. Edward looked up in interest at Charles' remarks.

"Good to see that the man is capable of taking a little friendly advice."

"Uncle Edward, do you really think that he is finally going to ask her?" Georgiana excitedly chimed in. Lucy patted her hand,

"From what I hear, this will be the third time…"

"No, dear. Rosings, the truffles, the walk last night, breakfast this morning…" Edward ticked off the number of proposals made by Darcy against his fingers.

"No, Edward you can't count the number of times he has tried, I mean he was interrupted at breakfast so that doesn't count!" Charles interjected, only for Georgiana to interrupt.

"What about breakfast?"

"Georgie, Timothy was at the door of the breakfast room, as Edward and Lucy arrived this morning and he opened the door he could quite clearly see Darcy down on one knee…"

"Really, Timothy?" Georgiana turned around in her seat to address the footman directly. Timothy nodded slowly and agreed.

"Indeed he was Miss; said that the Master also showed Miss Elizabeth Lady Anne's reading room this morning when they were discussing the Fayre in Mr. Darcy's study."

"Aunt Lucy that was truly devious idea of yours that we remain out of sight this morning, forcing Elizabeth to go to Darcy for questions." Georgiana praised Lucy for her brilliance of that morning, they had heard Elizabeth looking for them but had escaped through the back staircase and watched through the banisters as Elizabeth approached Darcy and he offered assistance.

"Do you really mean to say that Darcy is quite serious in his affections for Miss Eliza? He truly means to offer her matrimony?" Caroline was shocked at the realisation that the remarks Charles had made to her the night before had not been in jest and Darcy meant to offer for Elizabeth yet again.

"Yes, Caroline. He is quite serious this time." Charles understood that his sister had always had a long burning desire to become Mrs. Darcy one day, he had imagined that it was the thrill of the prestige rather than the man himself, but at the look of total devastation on Caroline's face; he suddenly wasn't so sure.

"Excuse me, please. I'm suddenly not feeling at all well." Caroline pushed back her chair abruptly and rushed from the room.

"It appears that your sister has taken the news hard, will she be alright?" Lucy questioned Charles, concern on her face.

"I think so, I really thought that she didn't care for Darcy as a man; it appears that I was mistaken. Excuse me please, I must see that she is well." Charles excused himself and went after his sister. He found her just sitting on the edge of her bed staring into space.

"What do I do, Charles? All I've ever wanted to be was Mrs. Darcy of Pemberley." For a moment Charles felt overwhelming sorrow for his elder sister, which changed at her next remark.

"And now that little Bennet upstart has somehow managed to sink her hooks into him, taking away what is rightfully mine! Weedling her way into the family quarters…into his bed is more like…!" Caroline gasped as Charles wrapped his hands around her upper arms and shook her angrily.

"Not another word, Caroline! If you so much as utter another sentence, besmirching either Darcy or Elizabeth Bennet, I will cut off all funds entirely and suggest that Marcus Hurst do exactly the same!" Charles was almost beside himself in fury. How dare she suggest that anything untowards had occurred between Elizabeth and Darcy. True, the servants were turning a blind eye to certain happenings, but none of them were prepared to let matters go so far as to force a wedding.

"I suggest that you wake Louisa and tell her that you've had second thoughts about spending time at Pemberley. If you agree to go quietly and today, I will fund a trip for the two of you…"

"Paris, or Italy?" Caroline was thinking only how many new hats and furs she could purchase…

"Perhaps, we'll see how well you behave. Now go and prepare Louisa for travel whilst I make arrangements for you to stay in Matlock for this evening. I'll make arrangements for your onward journey and forward the details onto the Townhouse." Charles rose to his feet and looked back once more from the doorway. "Now remember, Caroline not one word from you regarding Darcy or Miss Elizabeth otherwise when you get back into Town…" He felt no need to complete the rest of the sentence, knowing by the paleness of her face that the threat had been received and understood. He returned downstairs and informed Mrs. Reynolds in a quiet murmur that both of his sisters had decided to return to Town for the rest of the summer. Mrs. Reynolds nodded her head and agreed to send someone upstairs to assist in their packing.


	10. Chapter 10

Oblivious to any of the drama up at the house, Darcy had escorted a quietly subdued Elizabeth out to the summerhouse. They had enjoyed cold salmon patties and a crisp side salad and were currently consuming a light lemon soufflé to round off the meal. After the last mouthful had been tasted, they each laid down their spoons and looked at each other in silence. Finally Elizabeth broke the ice.

"William, we have each been sitting here for over an hour waiting for the other to speak of matters other than the weather, the gardens and our families. Won't you just ask me and put us both at ease?" Darcy looked startled at her surprised outburst and then laughed.

"Oh, Elizabeth, you never cease to surprise me. Other women might be sitting quietly waiting for the man to speak first, but not you. Tell me then, my dear, what is it exactly that you wish to hear?" Darcy teased as he toyed with her hand across the table.

"You could start by telling me that your feelings have not changed…"

"You know that they haven't…" Elizabeth glared at him for his interruption and he held up his other hand in surrender. She nodded regally and continued.

"You could ask whether my feelings have changed, after all I was the one to refuse last time…" Elizabeth paused, waiting for Darcy to catch up with her train of thought. He seemed to catch on quite quickly and rose from his seat to kneel before her. He looked directly into her eyes and held one of her hands clasped over his heart.

"My dearest Libby, when I first saw you on the staircase here at Pemberley I thought I was dreaming. I had seen you here so many times in my dreams, that I was frightened to speak afraid that you would vanish into the mists as you were wont to do in my dreams."

"I am almost afraid of asking…you say that you saw me on the stairs, when exactly was this?" Elizabeth asked slowly, almost not wanting to hear the reply. Darcy merely raised an eyebrow and slowly lowered one eye in a wink, not wanting to give too much information away to whomever might overhear. Elizabeth moaned and lowered her head against his chest in mortification. She had wondered whether Darcy had seen her watching him, but to have it confirmed was another matter entirely!

"Libby, stop. I have nothing to feel ashamed of and neither have you." Darcy gently forced her eyes to meet his own gaze, hoping that she would see the absolute certainty of his words reflected back at her. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. I was delighted when you arrived as I thought that it was a message from God, letting me know that I had another chance to win your affections..."

"Ahem…Excuse me Mr. Darcy, sir…" A slight cough from the doorway had Darcy rising to his feet and muttering a harsh expletive under his breath.

"Yes, Henry what is it?"

"Another guest, sir. Your cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam." Henry hated to interrupt yet again, but the Colonel was most insistent on seeing Mr. Darcy immediately.

"Blast! I'm beginning to think that someone up there doesn't want us to ever…"

"No, William don't say that…I know what you mean to ask and my answer is…" Elizabeth reached up to stroke the frown that appeared on Darcy's brow.

"That's not the point, Libby. How am I to explain to our children and our children's children that their father never actually got around to completing one full proposal?"

"At least you acknowledge that there will eventually be some children!" Elizabeth exclaimed, Darcy's eyes twinkled as he ran a finger in a gentle caress over her soft lips.

"Oh, if we are not to be blessed in that way, I can assure you it will not be from lack of practise…" She smiled against his finger and saw the promise in his eyes. Elizabeth removed his finger and reached up to run a hand through the curls that insisted on drooping over his forehead.

"Go and see to your cousin, perhaps we will attempt this again on another moonlit walk through the gardens."

"I will look forward to it immensely, until then…Miss Bennet." Darcy formally bowed over her hand and then after a quick look to ensure that Henry was looking the other way, placed a swift kiss onto her lips and then pivoted on his feet and went to the house.

Elizabeth sank back into her seat and wistfully propped her chin on her hand. She too was beginning to think that their whole relationship was doomed to failure. If he had only let her give her answer last night, they might have been secure in their engagement by now.

"Can I get you anything, Miss Elizabeth?" Henry asked, concern for her lack of spirit. Elizabeth looked over at the aged footman and waved him in to take a seat.

"Tell me Henry, is Mr. Darcy always so much in demand? It seems that there is always some matter of business that he just has to take care of, or someone else arriving at the door. Is there anyone else in his family that are likely to drop in unannounced?"

"Well, Miss now that the Colonel has arrived, we may well expect his parents to turn up any time now. The Colonel is under pressure from his father not to give up his commission in the army; he has long since had the ambition to study the law. His arrival can only mean that he has had yet another argument with Mr. Fitzwilliam and has come to seek guidance from the master." Henry sank down slowly in the wrought iron chair and looked over at the young lady.

"Hmmm, I think that I may be able to assist the Colonel…Henry what if my uncle were to intercede with the Fitzwilliam's? As you know he is a partner in a rather prominent law firm in Town, and may be able to offer the Colonel some advice or even an internship." Elizabeth's face brightened at the thought, Henry nodded slowly in agreement.

"That would free up some of the Master's time, at least until he returns to Hampshire with your aunt and uncle. I'm sure if someone were to offer to assist him in his day to day running of the estate and household…"

"I could ask Georgiana to start meeting with Mrs. Reynolds in the mornings, to assume some of her mother's duties…" Elizabeth's voice faded as she noticed that Henry didn't seem at all pleased with that suggestion at all.

"Begging your pardon, Miss. But wouldn't it be better if you assumed these duties rather than Miss Georgiana? As you know, she is a fragile sort and does not interact very commandingly with the staff; she tends to end up reversing every decision she tries to make as she doesn't want to put anyone to any bother." Both of them knew that this behaviour was not in the best interests of the house, the staff needed firm guidance; someone to make hard decisions at times and be able to stick by those decisions.

"I see, what if I take on most of the work but aim to show Georgiana the ropes. One day she will need those skills to run her own home and this will be good practise for her. We could sit in Lady Anne's study if Mrs. Reynolds thinks that it wouldn't cause too many painful reminders for Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth tapped her fingers reflectively against the table top, deep in thought. Henry smiled, here was a young miss with a sensible head on her shoulders; not one to weep and wail at the obstacles along the path to matrimony, but one that was willing to share half of the Master's burdens.

"If you can get the Master to do this, I am sure I can arrange for cook to provide a picnic hamper for one luncheon. I leave it up to you to decide who you wish to share it with though…" Henry rose from the table and held out an arm to Elizabeth. She tucked her arm into the crook of his elbow and let him escort her up to the house.

"Tell me, Henry. Is Mr. Darcy still offering a shilling to anyone who brings him news of my fondest wishes?" She asked as they strolled along. Henry hid a smile of surprise, he might have known that she would have picked up on that little tidbit.

"I do believe that he is, Miss."

"Perhaps you might to drop into conversation that I have a particular fondness for plum jam and jasmine bath salts?"

"Indeed, I will Miss." Henry bowed over her arm as he left her at the garden door before he went back to supervise the clearing of the luncheon dishes from the summerhouse and Elizabeth went in search of her uncle Edward.


	11. Chapter 11

Darcy was leaning back in his leather swivel chair, watching his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam wearing a path thin in his study carpet.

"Richard, you are a fully grown man! You don't require your parent's permission to do anything any longer." Darcy tried to placate his cousin without any success so far. "You have enough funds put aside from your army career, so you don't even require them to provide any support whilst you finish your studies."

"Darcy you don't entirely understand. My father has even withdrawn his permission for me to remain in the family home if I decide to continue in this path." Richard continued to pace, hands firmly linked behind his back; a worried frown marring his otherwise handsome features. "Whilst it is true that I have sufficient funds to provide an adequate living whilst I complete the last year required, but I have nowhere near enough to be able to afford to purchase and furnish a home of my own."

"Richard, I cannot tell you what to do; any more than your parent's can. Your father enjoys good health so there is no immediate indications that you would be inheriting the title or family home any time in the near future." Darcy smiled so that Richard knew that his words were to be taken lightly, "I am happy to grant you additional funds if you need them…" Richard held out a hand in protest, not wanting Darcy to continue any further.

"Thank you, Darcy but if I am going to do this, I want it to be on my own terms."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking of applying for internships in the City…Yes I know it will take me longer to achieve my goal, but I will be earning enough to be able to rent rooms somewhere quiet and I won't owe anyone a shilling." Richard looked over to his older cousin, seeking approval. Richard had started studying the law early, but when war broke out his father had purchased him his first commission. Now that the war had turned, Richard felt it was time to let some other young pups take over and wanted instead to resign his commission and return to his first love.

"Richard that is an idealist plan, but are you really…" Darcy looked up as there was a soft tap on the study door and Elizabeth peeked her head around the corner.

"Miss Bennet! What a pleasant surprise, tell me what brings you to Pemberley?" Richard strode to the door and fully opened it, admitting Elizabeth into the room.

"That's rather a long story, and best left for another time. Colonel Fitzwilliam, I understand that it is your wish to study the law?" Elizabeth strolled into the room and perched on the edge of Darcy's desk. She looked over at the flabbergasted Richard, and raised one eyebrow expectantly. "It's not exactly a hard question, Colonel. Do you or do you not wish to study for the bar?"

"Well, I…" Richard stuttered, "Yes. I do." He nodded assertively.

"That's good, because I have had a rather brilliant idea. It would mean taking an internship rather than a pure study, but it does come with the opportunity to act as a second whenever possible…Oh and did I mention that it includes room and board with a prominent solicitor in the City?" Elizabeth laughed at the sheer shock on Richard's face, it was as though she had read the situation perfectly and had found a solution all within a matter of seconds. She walked over to the door again and popped her head back out into the hallway.

"Uncle Edward, would you care to come in now? Colonel Fitzwilliam, may I introduce my uncle, Edward Gardiner of Gardiner and Smithers of London. Uncle Edward, this is the gentleman I was talking about, Richard Fitzwilliam; recently retired from the Third Fusiliers. Darcy, perhaps we could leave Uncle Edward and Colonel Fitzwilliam to discuss the particulars?" Elizabeth held out a hand to encourage a rather quiet Darcy to leave the other two gentlemen in his study. He bemusedly took her proffered hand and shook his head, not really accepting the fact that once again the whirlwind that was Elizabeth Bennet had swept in and solved another crisis in the making.

"How did you know?" he whispered as they walked into the hallway.

"I just asked the right questions to the right people. Isn't that correct, Henry?" Elizabeth raised her voice slightly at the last and received a warm nod of satisfaction from the footman in return.

"Ah, Miss Bennet you truly are a most delightful surprise. Shall we see what your aunt and my sister are occupied with at this present moment?"

"No, let us just stroll outside and enjoy the sunshine together." Elizabeth suggested as they neared the garden door. Darcy agreed with pleasure, it was not often that he had the time nor opportunity to spend an hour just strolling amongst the flowers. The sun chose to escape from the passing clouds at the very moment that they exited the house and brilliantly shone amongst the cultivated flowerbeds and borders.

"Have you seen anything else of Charles or his sister's this afternoon? Caroline seemed a touch put out this morning and I wondered if she was feeling quite well."

"I believe that she and Louisa have decided to return to Town for the rest of the summer in hopes to travel abroad in a few weeks' time. Charles escorted them to Matlock a short while ago to arrange their onward journey."

"I see, well I know that Georgiana will be pleased to hear that, but where does that leave us?" Elizabeth's almost forlorn tone made Darcy look over in concern and stop in his tracks.

"Elizabeth! Whatever do you mean?"

"Well, I know that my goal here is to bring Georgiana out of her shell enough to help plan the Fayre and I have some ideas that I will speaking to Mrs. Reynolds about later. But bringing Jane and the children here for the rest of the summer – I know that was so that Georgiana didn't feel so alone with Caroline and Louisa. With them gone…" Her voice trailed off despondently. Darcy planted himself directly in front of her and made her focus directly on him.

"Libby, my darling. I would want you here even if there were no ball at all! Don't you realise that by now? Just because I haven't gotten around to saying the actual words doesn't mean that I …..And my whole household already think of you as Mistress of Pemberley…if I had my way you wouldn't even be returning to Hampshire in September! So you just bear that in mind whenever you start to doubt me in any way." He slowly lowered his head, giving her enough opportunity to pull away if she chose to. Elizabeth did not pull away, but rather lifted up her head to meet his lips halfway. It was a kiss of affirmation, rather than a blatant attempt at seduction. A kiss full of promise that spoke of the depths of feeling that each had for the other, words were not necessary their hearts speaking for them instead. Their lips parted slowly, savouring the contact for as long as they could.

"Libby, will you stay?" he asked quietly.

"Perhaps, it all depends on how nicely you ask me." Elizabeth whispered softly in return, only half in jest. Darcy took a deep breath.

"Elizabeth, I beg you not to trifle with me now. I fear I am too raw for your teasing at present. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever."

"And what are your feelings exactly, William?" Darcy knew that Elizabeth needed the actual words this time.

"Miss Bennet, I have such depth of emotion for you that I can hardly put them into words. To say 'I love you' is not enough, to say 'I want you' can hardly describe the start of it…" Darcy pressed her firmly against his hard body, knowing that she could hardly miss the meaning behind his words. "And you, Miss Bennet? What of your feelings?"

"I can hardly know where to begin. When you asked last April, I felt anger and resentment but now I find myself so deeply in love with you that I…" Elizabeth found herself unable to speak as her lips were otherwise occupied. Darcy had nearly thrown himself at her in his haste to have her speak her true feelings. Gasping for breath he laughingly looked into her eyes.

"Do I really need to ask the question? Or do I have my answer already?" The only reply he received was that of the nonverbal sort as this time he found himself on the receiving end of a hot embrace. Elizabeth poured all of her emotion into the kiss, pressing his lips apart to forage hungrily into his mouth with her seeking tongue. Darcy wrapped his arms around her tightly, happily accepting her as the aggressor. Panting for breath, he tore his lips away only to press hot kisses against her hair, over and over again.

"My Elizabeth."

"Yes, William. Yours." Elizabeth tucked her head into his neck and they remained standing there for a long time; bodies gently swaying against each other as they savoured the moment. Darcy finally pulled her against his side, retaining a firm grip on her hand.

"I don't ever want to be parted from you again."

"Nor I you. But you are to travel back to Hampshire in just a few days and we will be apart then."

"Come with me then."

"William, I can't. Could you imagine the uproar it would cause with my father if we were to travel back to Hampshire, announce our engagement and then I return back with you? No, it's best that I stay here with Georgiana. It's only for a few days."

"It shall seem like a lifetime." Darcy raised their clasped hands up to his lips and tenderly kissed the back of her hand. He lowered it slightly and caressed her long, slim fingers. "Tell me, Elizabeth, what jewels would you prefer? Emeralds, diamonds, pearls?"

"Not pearls, William. Pearls are for tears, and I am determined that ours shall only be happy tears. It's too soon for all of that, let us just enjoy it for a few more days, just the two of us. Let us go on as we are, for the present. Just for now, let us keep it between ourselves, at least until you return with Jane and the children." Elizabeth shook her head at his suggestion, happy in the knowledge that she was his and he was hers.

"But I want the whole world to know that you have agreed to be my wife, Mrs. Darcy."

"Mrs. Darcy, I like the sound of that."

"As do I." Darcy couldn't help but leaning over and gently kissing her again, the sound of the name on his lips brought up images in his head, not only of the ceremony but the wedding night too... He groaned against her mouth and tried to force the images from his mind. "Please tell me that you want a short engagement, Libby."

"We'll talk about it when you return, I would like Jane to be a part of it and need to talk…"

"Of course you do. Forgive me, I didn't mean to imply that we would rush into things. It's just that…" Darcy struggled to find the words that would explain the full depths of his wanting. Elizabeth smiled into his eyes and touched his hair again, it was beginning to become one of her favourite past times, softly curling her fingers into his hair.

"Darcy, I understand…I saw you remember?" Darcy groaned at the memory, just as he was starting to regain control over his lower body, the mere mention of his actions of the previous morning; had him surging against the flap of his breeches in earnest.

"Libby, you can't mention things like that to me! I'm having enough trouble controlling myself around you as it is without you making it worse."

"What if I didn't want you to control yourself?" She whispered against his ear, each word causing him to shiver in reaction at the hot puffs of air.

"Libby, I'm warning you…!" Darcy hissed through clenched teeth, fighting against his baser instincts to press her up against the nearest tree and plunge himself into her welcoming depths.

"You'd have to catch me first…" Elizabeth teased as she ran off squealing into the gardens. Darcy gave a roar and gave chase. She led him in and out of the flowerbeds and into the rose garden. He finally caught up with her near the house and she gasped as he picked her up into his arms and carried her further into the garden towards small gazebo well out of sight of the house. He kissed her urgently, forcing her lips to part to give entrance to his seeking tongue. He rubbed against her teeth and slid over the rough surface of her tongue, thrusting in and out in an urgent rhythm. Darcy forced himself to release her lips but refused to set Elizabeth on her feet. He manoeuvred himself around to be able to slide one hand into her bodice and skimmed his fingers down in a teasing rub over her very sensitive nipple. Elizabeth felt heat curling in her stomach and found herself arching helplessly into his touch; fingers mindlessly searching for the waistband of his trousers to free his billowing shirt. Hands trembling, she finally managed to tug the shirt free and reached out to touch the hot flesh of his back. Darcy tore his mouth away from hers with a gasp of delight, turning his head instead towards her neck. The feel of her delicate fingers gently caressing up his spine had him shivering in reaction, as her fingers trailed lower he caught his breath wondering if she dared to drop them even lower. Elizabeth had brought her hand around to the front of his shirt instead and was slowly tracing a path up his side, feeling each bump of rib as she went. She then drew that same finger across his chest, tangling in the dark curls that matted his heaving chest before retracing the path down the other side. The feel of the pant of Darcy's hot breath against her neck made her weak in the knees and she reached out to steady herself, bringing up her other hand to rest on his waistband. Darcy growled against her neck and dragged her up tight against his body before spinning them around so that he was sat on the stone bench of the gazebo with Elizabeth spread-eagled on his lap. She could help but feel his urgent desire pressing against her aching pelvis and fought against the need grind herself down against him.

"Sit very still, don't move a muscle." Darcy muttered out between clenched teeth. He hissed a little as Elizabeth gave a little wiggle to try and get comfortable. "God! Libby! Unless you want to be dragged before a minister before the day is out, please, I beg you don't move." Darcy felt a tingling at the base of his spine and knew that he was extremely close to jettisoning his excitement all over the back of Elizabeth's dress. He took a few deep indrawn breaths to try and calm down his jerking manhood. He focused on his breathing, keeping his gaze firmly an errant curl that had slipped from Elizabeth's upswept hairstyle. After a few long moments, he felt that he was finally in control enough to lift Elizabeth up from his lap, he reached out to place a hand either side of her waist but instead of lifting her off his hands seemed to move of their own accord to press her downwards until her warm feminine core was pressed against his firm thighs.

"Darcy….!" Elizabeth let out a high pitched sigh and rocked herself further back, an overwhelming heat came over her entire body and she twisted around to capture his mouth. Darcy probed his tongue along the seam of her lips, she instantly opened to let him in welcoming the skilful invasion of her mouth. She felt herself being lifted and turned until she was straddling his heavy thigh on the bench, skirts ruched up around her waist. Her thin undergarments felt as if they weren't even there, as Darcy felt the scorching heat of her femininity even through the thin linen of his trousers. Elizabeth felt herself growing damp between her legs, and embarrassment had her lifting herself away slightly. Darcy felt her move and pressed a firm hand against her lower back to prevent her from moving any further away.

"I want to feel it, knowing that this is all for me…God Libby, you don't know what it does for me." He wished that his breeches would disappear so that he could feel that musky dampness against his bare skin, but settled for pressing her further against his thigh, urging her to rock against him.

"Will…I…What's happening to me?" Elizabeth rocked helplessly against his thigh, pressing her wet core against him in a desperate urge to satisfy some deep craving that she didn't understand. She felt a surge of heat rising up through her body, spreading over her chest and face and causing her breasts to swell and tighten. "Darcy….! William, please…?" Elizabeth didn't know what she was begging him for, but Darcy felt that he knew what would finally tip her over that unknown precipice. He slipped his fingers into her bodice and took one of her swollen breasts in hand. He massaged the weight gently and then rolled the tightly budded nipple between his fingertips. The fact that Elizabeth was so close to her release was paramount in his mind, and he was determined to ignore his own impending release. Darcy's fingers tightening on her nipples caused Elizabeth to push down harder against his thigh and she rolled her hips slightly in an effort to still the ache that was intensifying deep within her womb. Her movements became almost frantic and she was almost sobbing in the effort. Suddenly she felt her nipple enclosed in the warm caverns of Darcy's mouth as he began to suckle at her breast. She felt a clenching deep within her body that echoed the motion and ground down hard against him.

"Darcy!" Elizabeth almost shouted as she found her release, flooding his thigh with dampness and she fell back against the one arm that still held her firmly across her back. Darcy smiled against the breast he was still suckling rhythmically, sending little ripples through her exhausted body. He let the nipple slip from between his lips with a little pop and with a sigh of regret brought her bodice back up to hide the bobbing delights from his gaze. He couldn't help but give one more nuzzled to each one through the thin muslin. Elizabeth sighed gently and looked up at Darcy's wicked grin through heavy eyes.

"What was that? It felt frightening at first, but at the same time, overwhelming…" Darcy trailed a series of light kisses over Elizabeth's face and down the side of her neck, where he sucked a little and gave a gentle nip.

"That my darling girl, is what the French refer to as 'le petit morte' or 'little death'. They say that without the flood of hormones released, the human body would be unable to handle the overwhelming effects. How did you like it?"

"I…I…like it." Elizabeth looked ashamed at the admission, having been taught that a woman should only endure the marriage bed, and that only common whores enjoyed the sexual act itself.

"Libby Darling! It's a perfectly natural human response and you have nothing to feel ashamed of!" Darcy leant down and captured her lips in a lusty open mouth kiss. "I cannot wait to marry you, and show you just how wonderful married life can be between us."

"Darcy, what happens….well, when a man…" Elizabeth wanted to know what exactly happens to a man's body during the act itself, but didn't really know what words to use or even what the right words were.

"Oh, Libby…You'll be the death of me!" Darcy knew exactly what Elizabeth was referring to and the reasoning behind her questioning. A few years before, a very frightened Georgiana had burst into his study in floods of tears resulting from a 'birds and bees' speech given by her governess at the time. Even now, Georgiana trembled still at the mere mention of the words 'wedding night'. Goodness knew whatever parable Elizabeth's own mother had used. Darcy sighed a little and lifted Elizabeth reluctantly off his lap and settled her down beside him. As she got her skirts arranged properly, he took a moment to stroke a finger across the damp patch left on his thigh, bringing a finger to his nose he inhaled her musky scent and shifted uncomfortably on the cold stone bench as the scent of her lingering arousal sent his own spiking again. He dug into his pocket and wiped his finger surreptitiously on his handkerchief before handing it over to Elizabeth.

"Hmmm, you may wish to…?" He nodded uncomfortably towards the patch on his thigh and then gasped when Elizabeth started to scrub at his breeches. "Not me, you!"

"Oh!" Elizabeth had been so caught up in the ecstasy of the moment that she had thought that the wetness own his breeches was from his own release. Now she realised that she did indeed, feel very damp in her undergarments and laid the handkerchief between the back of her skirts and her sodden drawers.

"I really think that this is a conversation best left until after the wedding, don't you?" Darcy didn't think his poor body could take any further stimulation, else he would find himself shooting off like a rocket at Vauxhall gardens.

"No, William. I think that I need to know everything before I wed, I know the mechanics of course but it all sounds so clinical and detached. The woman just lying there whilst the husband just rams his thingy in and then leaves…" Darcy spluttered and coughed as he caught his breath in reaction.

"Is that what your Mother told you?" He choked out a laugh.

"Gosh, no. Mother just muttered something about flower seeds and watering cans…Any questions we had as children had to be answered from the housekeeper." Elizabeth looked over to where Darcy was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Was she married by any chance?"

"A long time ago, he went off to war and didn't ever return."

"Hmm, I wonder why?" Darcy muttered sarcastically. "Honestly, Libby. It's not something I've ever really felt comfortable talking about."

"Surely you know what happens?"

"Bloody hell! Of course, I do! You of all people should know that, after what you witnessed this morning."

"Well, I didn't see all of it. Just you from the back!" Elizabeth was determined to find out all that she could, she had no intention of going to the marriage bed frightened out of her wits as poor Charlotte Collins had. What did it matter anyway, Darcy had already decided that they were to have a short engagement so any consequences would be quickly covered over. "Please, William?" Elizabeth pressed against his side, cajoling him with her soft, doe like eyes. He felt himself weakening against his resolve.

"Oh, alright then, but not here! Tonight, once every one has retired. There's a corridor that links our rooms, go around the back of the large mirror and you will see a door cut into the wall. My room is directly beyond. If you are certain that this is what you want, come to me tonight and I will be waiting. I warn you though Libby, this is a path that once trodden on, neither one of us can turn back from." With that last word of warning, Darcy pressed a kiss to her cheek and strode quickly from the garden. A quick look at the rigidity of his spine and the burgeoning swelling of the front of his breeches gave Elizabeth the reason why and she knew that it was best just to leave him be to calm himself.


	12. Chapter 12

Darcy was angry with himself for capitulating to her demands as he strode away from the garden. No matter how desperate he was to marry her, he had no intention of ruining her reputation or his own with such foolish behaviour. By the time, he reached the formal lawns in front of the house his inward berating's had his body under control and a plan of action in his head. Instead of entering his study as he entered the house, he instead headed upstairs to his bedchamber where he called for his valet to ready his riding clothes. Once dressed he popped his head into parlour where Edward was sitting with Richard going through court reports from the daily newspaper. He offered his apologies to the two men.

"Edward, I'm going to have to put off our fishing expedition this afternoon as urgent business matters call me away for a few hours. Please feel free to explore any part of the house and grounds, nothing is off limit; treat it as if it were your own home." With those few words, Darcy was off and within moments had mounted his horse to canter down the driveway.

"I wonder what has caused the bur under his saddle? It's very nearly three o'clock, what on earth can be the matter this late in the day?" Edward commented as he turned back to the reports with Richard taking careful notes.

"I wonder indeed?" Lucy murmured in agreement, catching a glimpse of a very rumpled Elizabeth making her way upstairs. Georgiana happened to look over in the same direction and had to smother a shocked gasp at her appearance. Elizabeth looked well and truly ravished and Lucy tipped her head slightly to one side in an effort to convey to Georgiana not to let slip what they had seen. With a slight nod, Georgiana accepted the suggestion and sat back in her seat to pick up her needlepoint once more. Making her way up to her borrowed bedchamber, Elizabeth was still astonished by her brazen behaviour towards Darcy. She had practically forced him to reveal his very private habits and to then beg him to ravish her in return! Doubts were beginning to creep into her mind, what on earth had she been thinking? Collapsing backwards onto the bed, Elizabeth threw a hand over her eyes and groaned aloud. Whatever must he think of her now? She had revealed herself to be far less of a lady than even Caroline Bingley! No, she would not go to his room tonight no matter how temptation tugged at her.

Darcy meanwhile had arrived at his destination at Matlock, a devilish grin still tugging at his lips. How lucky could one man be? To find a woman that not only shared his desire of the countryside and family, but also was not afraid to show her passionate nature. He still found it hard to believe that she had actually accepted his proposal this time around, and her insistence that he reveal the secrets held within the marital chamber as well. The fact that she was so insistent had led him to Matlock and to one of his late father's best friends, who also happened to be the local bishop. A few hours later, a much happier Darcy strode back through the front door of Pemberley patting the envelope of his coat jacket, just to reassure himself that the contents were still securely held. After much reflection he felt almost certain that Elizabeth would not hold him to his promise made earlier, but just in case she would; he was secure in the fact that he had an insurance policy of sorts tucked away in his pocket.

"What ho, Darcy! Where have you been hiding all afternoon?" Richard looked over from where he, Charles and Edward were playing a lacklustre game of billiards in the games room. Darcy raised a hand of welcome and brought forth a smile.

"I had a little business to take care of in Matlock," He explained as he walked over to select a cue and started to chalk the end.

"Did you happen to see my sister's at all? I dropped them off at the Inn this morning." Charles asked as he moved around the table to line up his next shot. He looked up expectantly to see the puzzled expression cross his friend's face.

"No, Charles I didn't see them. I thought that you all had decided to stay at Pemberley for a few weeks and then Mr. Hurst would return them to London?" Darcy scratched the side of his head in confusion, had he misheard the plans that Charles had spoke of only yesterday?

"Caroline and Louisa decided that they would much rather return to Town earlier than expected. Mr. Hurst will travel down in a few weeks and then they all travel on together for a short holiday…Florence, I believe we finally settled on."

"Charles…you didn't have to…" Darcy started to protest, only to be interrupted by Richard's guffaw.

"Oh, yes he did. Charlie here has been telling us what dear Caroline had planned for your Miss Bennet, and Darcy believe me – you are well rid of that one!" Darcy listened at the plans Caroline had to denounce his Lizzie and to ruin her reputation as well as his own. His face grew tight with anger and his fist clenched alarmingly. If Caroline were still in the house…

"Now laddie. Calm yourself, she's well gone now and cannot bring any harm to you or Lizzie." Edward placed a hand on Darcy's shoulder and forced him to release the tight muscles. Darcy summoned a tight smile and tried to smooth the worry from his brow.

"Ed, you know what cruel gossips a scorned woman can be. If one word got out…" Darcy turned around to face Edward fully, "Even though, I assure you – nothing too unto wards has happened between Elizabeth and myself…" Darcy stumbled over his reassurance wanting Edward to know that although he had not remained a perfect gentleman, a gentleman none the less he was. Edward clapped a hand across his back and rumbled in laughter.

"Away with you, lad. I know that, of course. Otherwise I would never have agreed to let Lizzie stay here alone last night!"

"But still, Ed. There's something that I want you to know…" Darcy nudged his head slightly in Richard's direction. Capturing his glance, Richard took the hint and turned toward Charles.

"Come on, Charles. Let's go and annoy Mrs. Reynolds and see whether we can scare up an early afternoon tea."

"But…!" Charles started to protest as he was lead out of the door, one wink from Richard and a nod towards Darcy's anxious expression had him falling in with the plan. "Ah, yes. I am feeling a little peckish." He practically fell over his feet to get out of the door, dragging a smiling Richard behind.

"Now, Darcy tell me what is really bothering you?" Edward leant against the side of the billiard table and waved a hand in the other man's direction. Darcy paced up and down a few times and then gestured for Edward to follow him out of the room and into his private study where he could ensure that they would not be disturbed. Closing the door firmly behind them, Darcy bade Edward to take a seat by the fireplace. Instead of seating himself behind the desk, Darcy took the armchair opposite Edward and leant forward, resting his elbows on the arm of the chair.

"Edward, I should start by telling you that your niece has finally consented to be my wife…" Darcy held up a hand to stay the congratulations that Edward began to heap on him. "Before you go any further, Elizabeth wishes to keep the engagement between just ourselves until we return with her sister from Hampshire. However, something she said today – well…you see…." Darcy stopped his explanation and held his hand over his eyes, wondering how to continue. He certainly didn't want to reveal their most intimate of moments, but needed to explain that little piece of paper that was still in his coat pocket. He took solace in patting his coat pocket again and decided just to be blunt. "Ed, she wants me to…well…she insists that…Bloody Hell! How can I say it?"

"Spit it out man, what does she want?" Edward leant closer, he could clearly see that Darcy was distressed, honest to God what could be worrying him so much, Elizabeth had agreed to marry him after all!

"Ed, what kind of housekeeper do the Bennet's have?" The strange question out of the blue made Edward sit back in his armchair in surprise.

"She's a bit of an old sourpuss really, her husband died early in the last war and she never remarried. Well, that's the story she tells anyway, I'm not at all convinced he died – she's the type of woman that would make even the most devoted of husband's would weary of. A little too harsh and judgemental…"

"I thought so…and how much time have the Bennet sister's spent with you and your good wife over their formative years?"

"Not as much as we would have liked, Lizzie was always her father's favourite and found it hard to get away; we've had Jane along with us for many a holiday but this is the first time we've been blessed with Lizzie." Edward could simply not grasp Darcy's line of questioning, first the housekeeper and then how long the girls had spent with himself and Lucy…

"Hmmm…. That might explain a little…" Darcy sat back in the chair, and steepled his fingers in front of him, lost in thought for a moment.

"Darcy, for heaven's sake man! What on earth has you in such a tizzy?" Edward was rapidly losing patience and leant forward again.

"Ed, Lizzie revealed something to me earlier today that the housekeeper at Longbourn had been telling the girls as preparation for their marital duties….Well, Edward, I was truly shocked, shocked and appalled." Darcy looked Edward straight in the eye and grimaced a little. "Ed, those girls have been taught that nothing but pain and frustration wait for them on their wedding night."

"Ah, so that's what is bothering you. Well you needn't worry, Lucy has had that conversation with Jane only a few months ago and I'm sure that as soon as your engagement is announced, she will not hesitate to speak with Lizzie also." Edward smiled a little, pleased with the fact that after their conversation together, Jane seemed far more relaxed with the very idea of marriage.

"No, Ed…you don't understand. Lizzie is not satisfied with a verbal explanation – she wants a practical demonstration!" Darcy practically leapt from his seat and started to pace about the room. "Do you understand, now? She practically asked me to strip naked there and then so she could…well, you know…" Darcy dragged his hands through his already rumpled hair tugging at the unruly locks. He could hear Edward's sharp indrawn breath from behind him and turned around ready to face the wrath of an angry uncle. Edward's shoulders were shaking alright, but not with anger. No, Edward was struggling to control his mirth. The very idea that his very restrained and proper niece would allow herself to drop her guard with the very man standing before him, well! He struggled to contain himself and cleared his throat.

"Well, I can see that must have been very difficult for you." He said from behind his hand.

"You have no idea…" Darcy muttered, and strode across to the window to stare sightlessly out into the garden.

"Oh, I think that I have some idea…So what are you going to do about it, then?" Edward stood up and strode across the study to join his new friend at the window. Darcy didn't reply and merely handed the other man the slightly worn envelope, warm from within his pocket. Edward withdrew the piece of paper held within and simply stared for a moment, before returning it back to the envelope and returning it to the rightful owner.

"Well, you have my blessing if that is any comfort to you. But, what did you do to distract Elizabeth?"

"Umm, well I tried to tell her that I would explain it all on our wedding night, but she refused to wait. I mean …I didn't really know what to say, as I've never….well, finally agreed to meet her later in my room where we could talk without being overheard. Believe me, Edward I have no intention of taking it any further than talking, but thought it would be best to cover every eventuality!" Darcy wanted to make that point very clear with Edward, who merely nodded.

"I see, you mean that you've never actually…with a woman?" Edward finally realised what Darcy was trying to put across, he had never actually experienced the whole sexual act himself so found it difficult to explain things to his young fiancée. "At all?" Edward asked again, and could see that Darcy was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with this line of questioning.

"I mean, I know how…but never really felt the need…until I met her."

"Mmmm, I can see that my boy, but that piece of paper is dated from April not July!"

"That's because I've had it since then, when I returned from Rosings I left it with a good friend of my fathers who happens to be the Bishop of Matlock. Despite my asking him to destroy it, he had not – a fact that I was immensely grateful for today. All I have to do is name the date and time…"

"Look, Darcy I am not a man to judge either one of you for acting on your very devout feelings. However, I will say one thing – get a ring on her finger beforehand. Whether that be an engagement or wedding ring, it doesn't matter. Satisfy me on that point and we'll say no more about it. I know just how determined our Lizzie can be - we nearly didn't make it to Pemberley at all because of that determination, I'm only thankful that her aunt can be just as determined. Just don't let her father know that we ever had this conversation, or else neither one of us will get to see Christmas!" Edward may have made that last comment light heartedly but Darcy could quite clearly get the hidden meaning behind the words. Darcy reached into his trouser pocket and revealed the ring that he had also been carrying on his person that fateful day in April. His mother's shining ruby had been taken back out of the safe in the study ever since he had left Elizabeth on the stairs that very first morning at Pemberley.

"Okay then. Now if you will excuse me, I had better go and apologise to my wife for neglecting her so severely this afternoon." Edward gave a little bow and left Darcy turning the ring over and over in his hand before clenching it tightly in his fist.


	13. Chapter 13

Elizabeth sat staring in shock at the partially closed door of Darcy's mothers writing room. He had been so careful about closing the hallway door to his study but neither man had noticed the partially open other door, where Elizabeth was carefully going over plans for the Fayre. She had started towards the door to announce her presence when she heard her name mentioned and sat back down again to listen in. At first she was angry that Darcy had revealed their secret engagement and then squirmed with embarrassment when their most private of conversations was discussed. Embarrassment turned to bemusement when she heard how reluctant Darcy was in revealing his discomfort and then shock at his confession had her sitting in silence ever since. She sat back against the comfortable chair and twirled a set of keys that Mrs. Reynolds had pressed on her earlier that afternoon. A label on one of the keys had her sitting forward in thought. An amused smile lit up on her face and she slipped silently out into the hallway to put it to good use. Spying Henry waiting by the grand entrance she whispered a few sentences in his ear. He mimed a zip going across his face and then proceeded to clear the hallway, Elizabeth tiptoed across to the hallway entrance of Darcy's study and was grateful that the servants kept Pemberley like a well-oiled machine as the lock turned with not even a snick. Henry whispered that he would ensure that no one would enter the hallway without warning her first, two knuckle raps on the outer door would give her warning. She smiled in gratitude and slipped back into the smaller reading room, where she also slipped the lock to ensure complete privacy.

Darcy's only warning that he was not alone in his study was when a swish of muslin skirts had him looking over his shoulder in surprise. Before he could turn around, he found Elizabeth had stepped right up to his back and was clasping him firmly around the waist. She pressed a kiss against his coat in the middle of his shoulder blades and leant her forehead to rest against his broad, muscular back.

"William, I am so sorry for my actions after luncheon. I really do not know what came over me, I was hardly a fitting future Mistress of Pemberley was I? Forgive me?" Elizabeth muttered against his back and felt one of his hands reaching behind to pull her around to face him.

"My darling girl, you don't ever need to apologise to me for anything that you do or say. Don't you know that's one of the things that I love best about you?" Darcy pressed her chin up with one lean fore finger and forced her to meet his gaze. "I admit I was a little shocked at first, but only that you felt so much emotion for me that you were unable to hide it away, and that was a most precious gift and one that I will treasure always." He leant down to lay a soft kiss against her forehead and she sighed a little in return. Gently turning her to face the garden, they both stood quietly watching the afternoon sunlight glinting over the water of the stream and the lake in the distance. Elizabeth nestled back into his warm frame and felt him relax against her back. She tugged both of his arms around her middle and gently played with the dark hairs sprinkled on the back of his wrists revealed by the way he had tugged his shirtsleeves over his forearms. He had removed his coat and rolled his sleeves up once Edward had left in preparation for preparing paperwork for the settlement he had intended to lay upon Elizabeth once they were married. She continued to play with his hands and then found herself toying with the signet ring on his right little finger, wondering whether she should reveal that she had overheard his conversation with Edward.

"How long were you in my mother's room?" Darcy asked quietly, pressing a gentle kiss against the side of her neck, he wasn't upset with her in anyway at all – in fact he was quite relieved that it was out in the open. Elizabeth gasped and tried to turn in his arms, Darcy only held her a little tighter and kissed her neck again.

"I've been in there since you left, trying to sort out the last little details for the Fayre." Elizabeth held her breath, a little uncertain at what his reaction might be. She felt him nod against the side of her neck and then tugged one hand out of her grasp to reach into his trouser pocket and then place something sparkling into her palm.

"I don't want our love to be some sort of sordid secret or to make you an object of scorn or gossip. This is the only thing that I will ever insist upon, Elizabeth that is if you still wish to marry me." At this statement Elizabeth forcibly twisted herself around to face him. She reached up her free hand to force him to meet her eyes.

"Now, listen to me Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy! You are mine, now and I am never letting you go! Now, out that ring on my finger where it belongs and you can be certain that I will never, ever take it off." Darcy nodded solemnly all traces of amusement vanishing from his eyes, he kept his gaze firmly upon hers and dropped to one knee in front of her. Elizabeth immediately dropped to her own knees which caused him to chuckle.

"Am I not even allowed to do this properly?" He complained laughingly. Elizabeth shook her head.

"William, I am determined that we should start our life together as equals, I know that I am not your equal socially…" She held up a hand when he started to protest. "No, let me finish. The only thing that I know we are equals in, is our love for one another and for me that comes first."

"For me too, although I do not think that anyone could ever match the love that I feel for you in this very moment; not even yours for me." Darcy couldn't help himself from reaching out and placing a tender kiss upon her lips which very quickly ignited a flame within them both.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Just a short chapter today, but the raciness should more than make up for it, hopefully! I've got another couple of chapters in the pipeline but was then thinking of leaving there...or do you want to see the whole Lydia debacle rear its ugly head? We've managed to avoid it so far and it has been re-written so many times that I wondered whether or not to just leave it out of this one - maybe do a sequel a little further into their marriage? Let me know your thoughts...**

Tearing his mouth away, Darcy leant panting against Elizabeth for a moment before rising to his feet and held out a hand to draw her up. He crossed over to the armchair and sat down arranging Elizabeth comfortably on his lap. She settled back against her chest and waved her left hand – her empty left hand in the air. Darcy reached down to fetch the ring, only to bounce up to his feet when he realised that they had left the ring lying carelessly on the carpet. He nearly dropped Elizabeth to the floor but managed to keep a secure grip as he reached down to rescue the abandoned ring. They settled back into the chair and Darcy gently pushed the ring onto her finger and reverently placed a kiss above where it rested. Elizabeth sighed gently and turned in his lap to face him. She slowly reached up to caress his cheek and captured a tiny tear that had escaped from his eye. Darcy felt no shame at the expression of his overwhelming emotions, for there was no way of hiding them from his beloved any longer.

"Elizabeth, my darling…I…" Finding himself unable to continue, Darcy merely shook his head slowly and rested his head against her soft breasts. Elizabeth reached up and ran her hand through his curls, loving the way the silken strands clung to her fingers.

"Oh, William….By the way did I happen to mention that I locked the do…" Before she could even finish the sentence, Elizabeth found herself completely unable to speak as Darcy had captured her mouth completely with his own. It was as if all barriers between them had finally been broken down, and Darcy was finally able to release his inner primal male. He tightened his grip on her waist, and turned her in his lap so that her legs were pressed either side of his own, forcing her skirts to rise up to her knees and revealing her silken stockings. Darcy rubbed his hand over the smooth glide of her leg and allowed his hand to delicately tickle the back of her knee, relishing the little wiggle that forced Elizabeth to squirm a little closer in his lap.

"Mmmm…." She murmured against his lip and he took that opportunity to slip the tip of his tongue through her slightly parted lips. He could taste the faint tang of chocolate on her breath and probed further to stroke along the bumps of her tongue. She shyly returned the caress and he groaned in delight as their tongues tangled in rising passion. Darcy continued to trace a faint path from the back of her knee up a little higher towards her thigh, before bringing his hand around to the front of her dress and raising it higher until it rested just underneath her now heaving breasts.

He smiled a little against her mouth as he felt Elizabeth shift a little in protest, wanting his hand back where it started. Darcy didn't think that either of them was ready for that particular intimacy just yet, but he could still bring her pleasure just in another form. He let his fingers toy with the ties at the front of her bodice, still pressing heavy, moist kisses against her mouth and throat. One finger slipped beneath the ties and over the top swell of one breast. Elizabeth pressed closer and tore her mouth away to hide her burning face against the side of his neck.

"William, please…"

"Stop or don't stop." Darcy paused in his caressing for a moment, struggling to rein in his raging passions. Elizabeth continued to pant against his neck, leaving moist kisses in her wake. She couldn't find the words to express the gamut of her emotions, so merely grabbed his wandering hand and pressed it firmer against her breast, forcing her nipple against his palm. Darcy groaned at the sensation and slipped his hand underneath her bodice and undergarment so that he could feel her nipple pebble even harder in his firm grasp. He lowered his hand so that her soft breast plumped in his hand, where he gently weighed it before massaging gently pressing into her softness. With his other hand he pressed against the small of her back pressing her firmly against his raging staff. Lost in sensation, Elizabeth rocked slightly in Darcy's embrace and felt him shudder in reaction. She knew exactly where his hands were and prayed that he would never stop his caress, and could feel the warmth pooling deep within her belly. Her own hands had not been idle, one was clenching his muscular forearm tightly and the other was entrenched deep within the open neck of his gaping shirt. She risked raking her fingers down the curling hairs of his chest and felt his grip tighten momentarily on her breast before resuming the sensual massage. Elizabeth slowly withdrew her hand from Darcy's forearm and began sliding it around to join her other hand on his chest, pulling his shirt apart even further as she did so. Darcy bent his head to nuzzle the side of her neck, loving the feeling of her fingernails raking through his chest hair. He released his hold on her breast and leant back against the back of the chair giving Elizabeth unrestricted access to his open body. Although she missed his touch on her body, Elizabeth relished the opportunity to explore. She raised herself up a little on his lap and felt Darcy grip her waist to resettle her firmer on his strong thighs. She let her fingers drift across Darcy's chest, fascinated by the ripples across his pectorals every time her fingers touched him. A faint smile crossed her lips as she pressed a finger gently against the brown circular discs of his nipples buried within his dark chest hair, feeling them tightly furl against her fingertips. Daringly she dropped her fingers lower and lower until they danced across the button holding his breeches flap closed.

"Elizabeth…" Darcy hissed a warning, knowing that if her finger drifted a few millimetres lower she would find the very tip of him trying to press itself into her waiting hand.

"Yes, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth pressed a lush open mouthed kiss against his chest, she felt him rumble against her lips as he groaned aloud and then he forcibly raised her up, dragging her breasts against his bare chest and began to ravage her mouth; thrusting in and out in a blatant suggestion of what his body really wanted from her.

Elizabeth grabbed onto Darcy's shoulders in an effort to keep herself from overbalancing. His hands firmly grasped her buttocks, fingers tight enough to leave finger marks later, and kept her pressed tight against his lower half. There was no escaping the evidence of his desire for her as it was at that very moment trying to rise above his waist band desperate for relief. Darcy wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pressed her flushed face into his chest, gasping for control. The damp heat of her arousal was almost scorching against his thigh and almost caused him to lose total control, but he was determined to keep himself from exploding in his trousers like an untried schoolboy.

"Libby, I would be much obliged if you were to keep very still for a few moments." He barely breathed against the back of her neck, which of course caused her to shiver in reaction causing her pelvis to brush up against his throbbing staff and that slightest touch was enough to make his body jerk against her pelvis. "Dammit woman, I'm trying very hard not to control myself…." He hissed between clenched teeth and was startled to hear a soft breathy comment –

"Then don't..."


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Just to show that I'm truly sorry for the delay in posting, I am giving you an extra long chapter to make up for it. It does come with a litte warning attached though; if you don't want to read about our two characters acting very OOC and finally giving into their passion for one another, then I suggest you turn away now...**

_'Then don't….'_

Those two short words echoing through his head had him leaping from the chair with her still in his arms and striding rapidly towards his Mother's reading room. Elizabeth pulled herself out of her stupor to notice the very taut expression on his face.

"May I ask where you are taking me?"

"Somewhere a little more comfortable, do you still have the keys?" Darcy was amazed that he could form complete sentences as his head was clouded with unspent passion and he was determined to remain focused on the single task ahead – getting them out of the connecting study undetected. Elizabeth waved a hand over to where the keys remained on his Mothers desk and wondered what on earth Darcy could be up too, one moment she was asking him to lose total control and the next he was acting like an autonoman…

"Darling, did you ever notice that door by the bookcase in my mother's reading room?" Darcy manoeuvred himself in position to pick up the keys and then realised that he couldn't possibly unlock the door and carry Elizabeth through without causing them both some injury. He set her gently to her feet and kissed her hand. "Wait here for just a moment, my darling. I won't be a moment." Darcy ran back into his study and plucked the envelope from his creased jacket and then raced back into the other room where Elizabeth had propped her bottom on the edge of the smaller version of his own desk. He walked past her to unlock the small door by the bookcase and went back to retrieve her.

"I hadn't really thought about this door for a long time, it connects directly to my mother's suite via a small staircase. Oh, wait. We had better take the keys with us as I am not sure whether the other door will be locked." Darcy darted back into the room and scooped up the keys in one hand, and grasped Elizabeth firmly with the other.

"Well, it certainly explained all of those afternoon 'teas'. If both doors were locked, then your parents could have easily escaped upstairs to your mother's room instead." Elizabeth laid a head against Darcy's shoulder as he hurriedly urged her up the small staircase together.

"Yes, well I'd rather think about us, if you don't mind. No one ever really wants to think about their parent's that way…" Darcy shifted a little uncomfortably and felt Elizabeth kiss his shoulder in comfort. As they reached the top of the little staircase, Darcy was unsurprised to find that the door to his mother's suite of rooms was indeed locked. He slipped the small key inside the lock and was grateful to hear the lock release. He opened the door and led Elizabeth inside, tugging her along as she slowed to take a look around.

"Come, my darling. We have unfinished business that I would rather not continue in here if you don't mind." He swept Elizabeth back up into his arms and strode to a connecting door hidden in the far corner of the room. Going through the door revealed a small dressing room and beyond that was his own bedchamber. The only thought pounding through his brain was that he would finally get to see his beloved where he had imagined her so many times in his dreams.

Darcy set Elizabeth gently to her feet once they reached his bedchamber and leant down to capture her lips in a soft, moist kiss. He breathed a sigh of relief that she seemed to have lost none of her earlier desire and the kiss quickly escalated into a passionate exchange. How did he get so lucky, to have found the one woman that his was perfect match in every way. Had it not been for that small envelope in his pocket, Darcy might have felt guilt for anticipating their marriage vows. Elizabeth, however seemed to have no desire to call things to a halt, if anything now that they were inside his secluded bedchamber she seemed more urgent to learn more about his body than ever. Impatient sets of hands tugged at two sets of clothes, almost ripping seams in the process.

"Slow down, darling. There's no hurry at all." Darcy tried to slow things down a little, worried that for him at least, it would be all over far too soon. Elizabeth practically growled at him for the suggestion and resumed her urgency; tearing his shirt wide open so that she could tangle her fingers in his chest hair. Darcy found himself falling backwards onto his bed, Elizabeth immediately following him anxious not to lose a moment of body contact. He lost himself in sensation, and started just as hastily removing her outer garments to reveal the dewy silkiness of the bare skin hidden only by the thinnest of undergarments. Her nipples were barely contained within the top of her chemise and Darcy groaned audibly as the hard points brushed against his bare chest. Elizabeth smiled at his reaction and deliberately moved her chest from side to side, causing her swollen breasts to drag against his dark curls.

Darcy lost all sanity then and rolled her beneath him, hooking his fingers in the neck of her chemise and tearing it clean down the middle. He buried his head in between her breasts and then latched onto the closest nipple drawing it deep into the warm cavern of his mouth to suckle strongly. Elizabeth's head fell back against the pillows at the sensation, feeling her womb clench with each rhythmic pull and her hands reached up of their own volition to cradle his head closer. Darcy turned his attention to her other breast and could feel Elizabeth's pants sounding harshly in the now overheated bedchamber. Her fingers were now digging into his scalp to tangle in his curls and he relished each sensation. He tore his mouth away from her breasts and left a trail of warm, wet kisses up the side of her neck and across her cheeks, smiling a little at her attempts to force him to meet her lips.

"All in good time, my darling. Patience is a virtue, remember?" It was strange how he could now focus on each sensation rather than the urgency felt when they first entered the room. He pressed a series of light kisses across her face and brow and then at each corner of her mouth.

"Darcy, kiss me, please!" Elizabeth begged hoarsely, desperate to feel his mouth against hers once more.

"As you wish…" Darcy laid a lush, wet open mouthed kiss upon her lips and immediately felt her welcoming response, tongues surging to tangle in a heated duel. Their legs entwined around each other as they rolled across the vast openness of his bed and Darcy struggled to remove his boots and breeches without losing one inch of body contact. He finally managed to tear their lips apart long enough to prise his boots off and was trying to remove his overly tight breeches; he found this even more difficult with Elizabeth plastered across his back, rubbing her breasts against his spine and long, slim fingers reaching around his middle.

"Libby, please! I'm trying to…"

"I just wanted to help!" Disgruntled, Elizabeth sat back on her heels in the middle of the bed and watched the muscles across Darcy's back ripple and flex as he tried to remove the tight breeches from his swollen arousal without losing total control. She sat forwards a little as Darcy finally managed to undo his button with shaking fingers and carefully drew the flap open to reveal the head of his arousal as it bobbed above the waistband of his undergarments. He peeled the trousers down his muscular calves and kicked them off when they tangled around his ankles. He paused for a moment when it came to the removal of his undergarments, and then shrugging his shoulders flung them to the floor as well before turning to face Elizabeth on the bed.

Her gaze slowly ran over his bronzed chest following the path of curling hair as it narrowed into a thin line past his navel. He could feel his arousal jerking upright to lie flat against his stomach as her eyes wandered lower until they widened at the sight of him.

"William, this will never work! How can **that** possibly fit!" Elizabeth pointed a tremulous finger at his arousal, which was now almost painfully erect. He smiled a little at her expression and leant forward to trace one long, blunt finger down over her tremulous lips, past her neck and straight between her breasts to hover around her navel. Elizabeth gasped as shivers began to wrack her body and found herself leaning into his touch. He reached out his other hand and carefully removed the shredded chemise where it was clinging to her shoulders, taking a moment to gaze in admiration at the full splendour of her nudity. Darcy gently pressed her back against the pillows and nudged her legs apart with a firm knee. Settling himself between her hot thighs, he made sure that he kept his arousal from touching her for the moment.

Darcy kept their eyes in contact as he slowly used his fingers and hands to sweep over Elizabeth's body.

"Your skin is flushed and see how your lips part whenever we come close," he rubbed a finger over her slightly parted lips and over her high cheekbones that were flushed a light pink with desire.

"And see here, how your nipples tighten with just the slightest of touches…" Darcy moved his body a little lower on the bed and puffed warm air over her breast, watching the nipple bud with wanting; pressing a small kiss to each nipple before moving down to lay a line of kisses between her breasts and navel. He looked up between his lashes to gauge her reaction, Elizabeth was completely flushed from her cheeks, right down to her neck and her lips were parted as she sought to control her breathing. Darcy's tongue darted out to circle her navel and felt her stomach muscles clench in reaction.

Elizabeth was lost as each sensation seemed to magnify to ripple over her body. Her legs fell open even further, and Darcy took the opportunity to scoot even closer. His hands raced over her stomach and she felt one hand slip to tickle the back of her knee before moving slowly up and around the top of her thigh.

Darcy moved back slightly, concentrating on the path his fingers were wending; gauging her reaction at every step; he honestly had no idea what he was doing, going by instinct alone. He rubbed a finger in concentric circles around her navel and then followed a line straight down towards the downy hair covering her femininity. As his finger gently rubbed and tugged at the short curls, Elizabeth felt heat pooling deep within her and clenched her fingers around fistfuls of the bedsheets. Darcy slipped his finger into the gap at the top of her legs and gently rubbed along the slit at the top of her mound; almost gasping at the heat that drenched his blunt finger.

"God, Darcy do that again!" Elizabeth panted hoarsely from above him and Darcy bent his head to concentrate on bringing her pleasure. He gently blew on her navel, making her legs fall apart even wider and he took the opportunity to slip one finger carefully into her warm depths. Elizabeth raised her hips involuntarily at the feeling of his finger moving in and out in a slow rhythm. Darcy removed his finger only to insert two, gently stretching her in preparation. He could feel her tensing against him and quickened his motion, slightly crooking his finger as he did so. Elizabeth knees pressed together, forcing his fingers deeper and she felt a series of tingles deep inside building pressure as the tip of his middle finger brushed against just the right spot. Darcy moved his fingers faster and faster, kneading her pubic bone with his other hand until Elizabeth gave a sharp cry and tensed up against his fingers, flooding them with her climax. He slowly withdrew his fingers, gently caressing her as he did so, causing further ripples of excitement to pool deep inside her belly. He placed a gentle kiss on her stomach and then a little lower down, and then a little lower still until his mouth was hovering over her wet folds. The sight of her glistening lower lips almost caused him to plunge straight into her, but Darcy wanted to be sure that Elizabeth was completely ready for him.

His tongue darted out to capture a drop of her essence and Darcy groaned at the sweet, musky taste of her. Elizabeth moaned above at the touch of his tongue, too lost in sensation to realise what he was actually doing. At her reaction, Darcy placed a hand under both of her thighs and lifted her a little higher so that her back remained flat against the bed, but her lower limbs were at a perfect height for him to gaze upon her flushed and swollen femininity.

"Ah, Libby – the sight of you takes my breath away. I just have to have one little taste…" Darcy breathed softly and slowly bent his head, slipping his tongue into her slick folds in a quick stabbing motion. He felt his eyes almost roll back into his head as the taste of her flooded his mouth, and he moved his tongue from side to side, lapping up as much of her essence as he could. He licked at her and then sucked her small nub of desire into his mouth, causing Elizabeth to emit a high pitched scream.

"William, oh…oh…aahhhh!" As he suckled and then thrust his tongue between her folds, Elizabeth reached climax again and he tasted her essence flooding his mouth; relishing the taste of her sweetness. He pulled his mouth reluctantly away and whilst she was still boneless with aftershocks, moving up her body to settle himself between her thighs. He reached down a hand and guided himself into place. Gauging that she was as fully relaxed enough to accept him, Darcy pushed forward with one smooth thrust and penetrated her fully. Elizabeth tensed up at his first invasion and tears pricked behind her eyelids at the pinching sensation as he tore through her maidenhead.

"Shh…just relax." Darcy held himself still for a moment and gently wiped away the single teardrop. He was fighting back the impulse to move, giving Elizabeth time to get used to the feel of him deep within her. As he felt her muscles unclench, he slowly withdrew until only the tip of him remained within her and the pressed forward gently. He kept the rhythm gentle and slow until he felt her begin to rock against him. Pressing a hand to her hip, Darcy controlled her movements until they fell into synchronicity. He shifted his weight onto his elbows so that Elizabeth could only feel his lower body moving easily in and out of her. She moaned as he slowly picked up speed and started to thrust deeper and deeper. Their hands clasped each other and Darcy leant down to capture her lips in a long, heated kiss; their tongues echoing the movements of the rest of their body. Elizabeth felt a haze of perspiration gathering over her body and felt the sensations beginning to spiral out of control, she stiffened in his arms exploding with delight. Darcy felt her inner muscles clamping around his arousal and his movements grew more frantic as he pounded into her relentlessly before his back stiffened and he felt himself releasing his essence deep within her womb. Her body continued to pulse internally, clamping and releasing his organ; milking him of every last drop. He collapsed against the bed, breathing heavily as his erection slipped out to lie relaxed against his thigh.

"Well, Mr. Darcy – that was very…informative…" Elizabeth stretched out a hand to caress that stubborn curl that had once again fallen over his brow.

"Can't….speak…need…moment…" Darcy could barely lift his head from the pillow, but opened one eye to check that Elizabeth was not distressed in any way; exhaustion was tugging at his every pore and he struggled to catch his breath. Elizabeth on the other hand, was almost boneless in relaxation and stretched out her hands above her head as she turned on her back to stare at the ceiling. The position caused her still erect nipples to thrust upwards and Darcy weakly reached out a hand to caress the one nearest to him, only to find that he only had the strength to reach as far as her stomach.

"Are you alright, darling? I didn't hurt you?" He murmured sleepily, Elizabeth scooted lower on the bed, so that she could caress his cheek.

"No, William I am fine. It did hurt a little at first, but you more than made up for it later."

"Mmmm, glad." Darcy nudged his head over until it was nestled against her breasts, he nuzzled into them and Elizabeth felt a quiet snore. She looked down to see him gently suckling at her breast in his sleep, a small smile of satisfaction crept over her face at the thought that she had managed to bring him pleasure. Elizabeth gently extracted her breast from his mouth, ignoring his quiet grumble of annoyance, his hand the side of the bed before he rolled over to his stomach and fell deeper into sleep.


End file.
